The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is an electrochemical process that is key to tackling global concerns regarding the conversion and storage of clean energy as well as the development of sustainable water treatment. We mainly focus on nonprecious metal catalysts, specifically harnessing Carbon-based electrocatalysts. In the current invited perspective, we highlight three main ways to control the ORR selectivity, which is still a challenge under development: (i) engineering the active sites where the use of single-atom, double-atom, or small clusters of atoms of transition metals in the carbon matrix allow including more active sites for the reaction, (ii) using coordination shells and modifying the local environment of the active-sites with more electronegative elements generates a strong positive electrostatic potential in the active site thus improving the metal-O