Brazil Eliminated by Norway in Round of 16, Suffers Historic World Cup Shame

Brazil was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in the Round of 16 by Norway (1-2) at MetLife Stadium, twenty-four years after their last triumph in 2002. Brazil has now matched its longest period without a title in the tournament’s history, and the Brazilian press wasted no time delivering its verdict.

Globo Esporte, the country’s largest sports portal, opened its pages with a clinical assessment. Analyst Rodrigo Coutinho pointed to “culpable complacency” and “lack of precision” as the main factors behind the elimination. The site also recalled the chaotic context that preceded this World Cup: four different managers and 96 players tested over four years since Qatar, a chronic instability that proved costly against Norwegian pragmatism.

The trial of Carlo Ancelotti is at the heart of reactions. The newspaper Lance! described the arrival of the Italian coach as an “industrial failure”, criticizing the team’s lack of tactical foundation and inability to create collective danger. “Brazil exited through the back door, without its own style and deprived of exciting stars. We sold our soul for a modern European tactical project that ended up sterilizing our football,” the newspaper wrote in a scathing editorial. Lance! also pointed to Ancelotti’s inability to find a tactical answer from the bench when Erling Haaland began to physically dominate Brazil’s central defense.

UOL centered its analysis on this lost duel against the Norwegian striker. “Haaland dominates, and Brazil collapses,” the media summarized, before driving the point home: “The king of world football is not dressed in yellow and green.” The trauma is compared to the 7-1 defeat suffered at home in 2014, a reference that in Brazil is far from trivial.