Brazil's FIFA World Cup 2026 Exit: Analysis of Key Factors

New Jersey. Five-time World Cup winner Brazil has been eliminated from the tournament after losing to Norway. With Erling Haaland's goal stunning Brazil, the reasons for Brazil's disappointing exit are being investigated.

In reality, Brazil could not perform well in this World Cup held in North America. The team could not achieve success due to the dominance of experienced players and lack of coordination. The team had to rely mostly on Vinicius Junior for results.

Serious questions have been raised about head coach Carlo Ancelotti after the defeat in the Round of 16 match in New Jersey. When he took charge a year ago, he was expected to bring Brazil back to the top of international football.

Twelve months later, the Italian coach's future appears to be in jeopardy. Calls are being made in Brazil for him to be sacked. However, coach Ancelotti himself considers this not an end but a 'new beginning'. Looking back, it is clear that he made serious mistakes in some important decisions.

But what went wrong for Brazil in the 2026 World Cup?

• Dominance of Experienced Players

It is clear that many of Brazil's problems are related to Ancelotti's player selection. Seeing no alternative to good young players in the country, he continued with old and experienced players.

Their three goalkeepers were 33, 32, and 38 years old, respectively. The average age of the defenders called up for the tournament was 31 years. This included former Juventus full-backs Danilo and Alex Sandro. They seem like players from the old generation. 

In midfield, there was again a heavy reliance on the 34-year-old Casemiro. Former Liverpool player, 32-year-old Fabinho, also got plenty of playing time.

19-year-old Ryan from Bournemouth and 25-year-old Danilo from Botafogo have given some hope for the future. However, after Brazil's disappointing exit, Ancelotti has admitted the team's urgent need for new faces.

'We need some young talent. High-level players need to come into Brazilian football,' said the Italian coach.

He added, 'This national team has a very strong group. Excellent players are continuing. Now some new players can come into the team.'

• Gambling on Neymar

Certainly, the participation of another experienced player in the team garnered significant attention. That player was Neymar. Due to continuous injuries, he had not played any matches since October 2023. However, under immense pressure from the media and fans, Ancelotti included the 34-year-old Neymar in the squad.

As expected, the Santos superstar suffered a calf injury on the eve of the World Cup. As a result, he was out of action for two to three weeks. Because of this, he missed the first two group stage matches. In the third match against Scotland, he came off the bench and played only 14 minutes.

In that short time playing in Miami, he did not look in form. The atmosphere seemed more like a farewell game than the return of the country's hero to the field.

In the exciting Round of 32 victory against Japan, Ancelotti did not field this star forward. In the Round of 16, while seeking a win against Norway, he was given a bit more time as a substitute. Despite scoring a consolation goal from a penalty towards the end of the game, Neymar remained ineffective. This will likely be his last international match.

• Serious Weakness

Neymar's injury and his limited participation made the decision to overlook Chelsea's Joao Pedro even more mysterious.

The direct casualty of bringing Neymar, Brazil's top scorer, back into the squad was the 24-year-old Pedro. Despite contributing 29 goals and assists in his first season at Stamford Bridge, he was not included in the squad.

Many had predicted that Pedro would not only play in the World Cup but also start in Brazil's number 9 jersey. His versatility made him a very useful attacking player. Even Ancelotti acknowledged that the forward deserved a place in the squad when announcing the team. He said, 'He probably deserved to be on this list.'

After the five-time champions' exit from the World Cup, a long and painful review is certain. In such a situation, the decision not to include the Chelsea striker in the squad will be questioned repeatedly.

Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario shared his thoughts after the match. He said, 'I have to be honest. I think the start of this defeat came from the decisions made from the bench. I still don't understand why Joao Pedro wasn't in this team.'

He added, 'His season was excellent, he is in form. Brazil needed a striker who could bring something new.'

• Disorganized Midfield

The selected squad and over-reliance on old players made Brazil's midfield particularly weak. Brazil placed great trust in Newcastle star Bruno Guimarães to create play and work hard on the field.

Ancelotti's initial squad had only five central midfielders. This mainly included Lucas Paquetá, who plays the number 10 role. Later, Ederson, who was about to join Manchester United, was called up to replace the injured right-back Wesley.

Guimarães accepted the challenge and provided four assists. However, he did not receive adequate support. The coach also did not have much faith in the alternatives. He gave both Ederson and Danilo only a short time playing from the bench.

After the defeat against Norway, the Italian coach pointed out the need for significant improvement in Brazil's midfield. He said, 'We have to think about the future. It is very clear that we need to change some players in midfield.'

• Responsibility to the Wrong Person?

There is a heated debate about Guimarães's penalty miss in the first half against Norway.

It was a very crucial moment. Brazil later fell behind and could not recover in the game. Therefore, that penalty proved decisive.

Many expected Vinicius to take the penalty, given he was the country's top scorer in the tournament and was in good personal form. But to everyone's surprise, the Newcastle captain stepped up to take the penalty.

Ancelotti later revealed that the decision was purely statistics-based. According to him, Vinicius was very low on the penalty taker list.

'We looked at the players' statistics. According to that, Raphinha was the best option to take the penalty,' he said.

He added, 'Raphinha was the first choice, followed by Neymar. But they were not on the field. Then it was Bruno Guimarães's turn. After Bruno was Gabriel Martinelli. So we chose Bruno Guimarães. We thought he would be the best.'

• Impact of Injuries

It is natural for Ancelotti to be criticized for his player selection before and during the World Cup. However, he can point to some compelling circumstances that weakened the squad in his defense.

There is no doubt that Brazil's squad was significantly weakened by injuries sustained before and during the World Cup. This left them with very few options for top players.

Players like Eder Militao, Rodrygo, and Estevão Willian were already out before the squad announcement. This means Brazil lost its regular right-back and two key players capable of changing games on the wings.

Their luck did not change even when the major tournament began. We have already discussed Neymar's problem, which was almost certain. But after Raphinha and Paquetá also suffered hamstring injuries, Ancelotti had to lose two more important players.

Raphinha left the field in the first half of the second match against Haiti and could not play thereafter. Paquetá was forced off at halftime in the knockout match against Japan.

• 'Not the End, a New Beginning'

In Ancelotti's view, this major failure is the first step in a long and difficult journey to bring Brazil back to the top of international football.

The renowned Italian coach said, 'Defeat is the beginning of a new journey. We have to improve. We have to find new solutions. This is not the end, it is the beginning of a new cycle.'

He added, 'We will face this defeat by bringing new energy to our work and evaluating the players. We will try to improve and find new plans. We will do as we have done this year.'

Finally, he said, 'I think what we have done is good. Football is like that. Sometimes you have to manage the pain of defeat. I am used to it.'

Goal.com