Pelé's daughter says 'Brazilian football is broken' after earliest World Cup exit since 1990

Brazil’s 2-1 defeat to Norway in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup on Sunday marked the country’s earliest exit from the tournament since 1990, and it has drawn a sharp response from Kely Nascimento, the activist filmmaker and eldest daughter of the late Pelé.

“Brazilian football is broken. Whether it is corruption… it’s like a closed, very incestuous ecosystem where no one can see inside, and everybody knows why it is not working, but nobody can fix it,” Nascimento told Reuters.

Nascimento argued that Brazil’s struggles on the international stage are not a talent problem but a structural one, rooted in a lack of transparency and accountability within the sport’s administration. She noted that her father had long shared similar concerns, and drew a contrast between Brazil’s decline and the more effective systems built by nations such as France.

Despite her criticism of the broader ecosystem, Nascimento pointed to one development she views as encouraging: the arrival of foreign investment at traditional Brazilian clubs. She cited the resurgence of Botafogo under US businessman John Textor, who acquired a controlling stake in the Rio de Janeiro club in 2022.

“What he’s also bringing is transparency… he has accountability to a foreign body. To me, that’s a positive, regardless of everything he’s being blamed for,” she said.

On the pitch, Carlo Ancelotti’s side never fully convinced during the tournament. Brazil opened with a 1-1 draw against Morocco before back-to-back 3-0 wins over Haiti and Scotland offered a brief lift. They required a stoppage-time winner to progress past Japan in the last 32, but were ultimately undone by Erling Haaland in the round of 16, the Manchester City striker scoring twice to end their campaign.

Brazil have not lifted the World Cup since 2002, when they claimed a record fifth title. The gap between that triumph and the present day has grown long enough that Nascimento — and, she suggests, her father before her — felt compelled to say so publicly.