Lille confirmed the appointment on their official website. The 36-year-old Italian succeeds Bruno Genesio, who left by mutual agreement after guiding the northern French club to third place in Ligue 1 and direct qualification for next season's Champions League.
Ancelotti's appointment is his second as a head coach in senior football, following a brief stint at Botafogo in Brazil between July and December 2025. He guided the Rio de Janeiro club to Copa Libertadores qualification before being dismissed in mid-December after a dip in form. He subsequently returned to his father Carlo Ancelotti's coaching staff as an assistant with the Brazil national team ahead of the World Cup, a role he has held since March 2026.
His broader coaching journey began alongside his father at PSG, where he worked as a fitness coach, before progressing to the role of assistant manager at Napoli, Everton and across Carlo's hugely successful second spell at Real Madrid between 2021 and 2025. During that period, the pair won two Champions League titles, the Club World Cup and the Intercontinental Cup.
Lille president Olivier Letang, who worked with Carlo Ancelotti at PSG and has a long-standing relationship with the family, was a driving force behind the appointment.
"We are extremely happy to welcome Davide," Letang said. "His football philosophy, his methodology and his approach to management are both modern and demanding."
At the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Davide inherits a well-structured squad built around the principles of high energy, aggressive pressing and technical quality — characteristics associated with Les Dogues across successive head coaching eras.
Whether he stays on with Brazil for the duration of the World Cup before taking up his Lille duties has not been confirmed by the club.