Brazil squad splinters after World Cup exit as only Danilo flies home with staff

Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad fractured in the immediate aftermath of their World Cup elimination, with only Danilo returning home on the CBF-arranged flight alongside backroom staff after a 2-1 defeat to Norway on Sunday.

The five-time world champions were knocked out in North America in a result that sent shockwaves through Brazilian football. Erling Haaland broke the deadlock with just over ten minutes remaining, then sealed the win with a second goal in the 90th minute. Neymar converted a stoppage-time penalty, but his effort proved nothing more than a consolation.

While Danilo made the trip back to Rio — joined by Leo Nannetti, who had been called up for training but failed to make the final 26-man squad — the rest of Brazil’s players went their separate ways. Some departed on summer holidays; others returned directly to their clubs ahead of the new season. The CBF flight was not compulsory, but the collective decision to skip it has raised pointed questions about the squad’s cohesion following such a damaging exit.

Norway will now face England in the quarter-finals at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday at 10pm, a blockbuster tie that Brazil had been widely expected to contest.

The defeat extends Brazil’s agonising wait for World Cup glory to 24 years, and Ancelotti is already facing scrutiny over his future, with reports linking Pep Guardiola to the vacant role should the Italian depart.

Ancelotti, speaking after Sunday’s elimination, sought to project resolve. “What I say is that we continue to do our jobs and look for new ideas,” he said. “It is a very disappointing result, and all of us are really saddened. But this was a great group, and I have to thank my players — they worked really hard.”

“I don’t think we deserved to lose, but we have to accept it. That is football for you, that is sports. Sometimes you have to manage the sadness and bitter taste of a defeat. We are going to take this defeat and use it as fuel for the new cycle.”