Brazil’s bid for a record-extending sixth World Cup came to a screeching halt following their 2-1 loss to Norway in the World Cup 2026 Round of 16. The result was surprising because the pre-match World Cup 2026 odds had the Samba Boys beating the Vikings, but here they are, having now gone six finals in a row without being crowned champions.
As you would expect, the reaction back home has been brutal, with head coach Carlo Ancelotti bearing the brunt of the blame. There’s a chance that the former Real Madrid boss might not see out his £8.5 million-a-year deal if the Samba Boys fare badly in the Copa America in two years.
Today, SBOTOP analyses what went wrong for Brazil this year, as the perception of them took a sharp turn for the worse.
Brazil’s had their worst performance against Norway
Before losing to Norway in the Round of 16, head coach Carlo Ancelotti drew praise for his man-management, as Brazil were one of the top-performing teams in the tournament. The Samba Boys opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Morocco before pummeling Haiti and Scotland – both by 3-0 scorelines – to eventually finish on top of Group C. After that, they rallied to a 2-1 win against Japan in the Round of 32.
However, Brazil capitulated against Norway, who were in the midst of their best World Cup run. The Samba Boys should’ve taken an early lead when Matheus Cunha won a penalty in the 10th minute, but Bruno Guimaraes couldn’t convert because of goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. Guimaraes became the first Brazilian to miss a penalty in a World Cup – not counting shootouts – since 1986. The Newcastle United midfielder took the penalty ahead of Vinicius Jr., with Raphinha unavailable and Neymar on the bench.
Brazil were made to pay with that miss, as Erling Haaland completed his brace late. By the time Neymar converted a penalty in stoppage time, it was already too late for Ancelotti’s side.
What made the defeat even damning is the fact that Brazil couldn’t create enough World Cup 2026 highlights against Norway, having only 34-per cent possession – their lowest in a World Cup match since records began in 1966 – and 313 passes (compared to 653 passes for Norway).
The bright spots for Brazil
For all of Brazil’s faults in the tournament, it’s their attack that has been the most consistent. Led by Vinicius Jr. and Matheus Cunha, the Samba Boys have scored in every match of this year’s finals.
Vinicius Jr. reminded everyone of his class by leading Brazil in scoring with four goals and one assist. After scoring the much-needed equaliser against Morocco in the opening match, the Real Madrid forward made two goal contributions (one goal, one assist) against Haiti before notching a brace against Scotland in the group-stage finale. Matheus Cunha is behind Vinicius Jr. with three. The Manchester United forward scored a brace against Haiti and also scored in the second half against Scotland.
When they trailed against Japan, Casemiro and Gabriel Martinelli spearheaded the comeback in the second half. Casemiro scored off a header in the 56th minute before Martinelli came off the bench and slotted home the winner after a costly turnover from Ao Tanaka at the edge of the box. Fun fact: five of Casemiro’s 10 goals for the Samba Boys have been headers, and he has scored eight such goals for Manchester United this past season.
Rayan also deserves plaudits for his contributions, despite having only one assist under his name. The 19-year-old Bournemouth winger stepped in to fill the void left by Raphinha, who suffered a right hamstring injury against Haiti.
Brazil need to see a full reset
Brazil are one of the oldest teams in this year’s quadrennial tournament, and Neymar, Casemiro, Alisson Becker, Alex Sandro, Danilo Luiz, Douglas Santos, Fabinho, and captain Marquinhos likely won’t be around in the next cycle since they’re approaching their late 30s.
Neymar announced he’s the first to go, which is why he was emotional after their defeat to Norway. He won his first cap in New Jersey in 2010 in an international friendly against the United States, and it was fitting to have his final game at MetLife Stadium.
But there’s reason for optimism for Brazil, as they have several promising youngsters who could take charge. Besides Rayan, they also have Endrick, Joao Pedro, Savinho, Vitor Roque, Andre, Lucas Beraldo, and Vitor Reis, among others. Meanwhile, Vinicius Jr., Matheus Cunha, Gabriel Martinelli, Igor Thiago, Ederson, and Raphinha will be in their primes by then.
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