Brazil said goodbye to the 2026 World Cup in the round of 16 after losing 2-1 to Norway with a double from Erling Haaland. The elimination in New Jersey represents one of the hardest blows for the Canarinha in recent decades.
The team led by Carlo Ancelotti arrived at the tournament as one of the big favorites for the title, but once again fell far from the fight for the championship. Furthermore, the elimination could mark Neymar’s last World Cup participation with the Brazilian team.
The defeat also confirms a worrying trend for Brazil. Since winning her fifth World Cup in 2002, the five-time champion has not competed in a final again and has had a series of premature eliminations in each edition of the tournament.
The pattern has been repeated in the last five World Cups: They lost to the Netherlands in 2010, suffered the historic 7-1 defeat against Germany in 2014, were eliminated by Belgium in 2018, by Croatia in 2022 and now by Norway in 2026, their earliest elimination since then.
Brazil’s balance in its last five World Cups
- Germany 2006: Eliminated in the quarterfinals against France
- South Africa 2010: Eliminated in the quarterfinals against Holland
- Brazil 2014: Eliminated in the semifinals against Germany
- Russia 2018: Eliminated in the quarterfinals against Belgium
- Qatar 2022: Eliminated in the quarterfinals against Croatia
- 2026: Eliminated in the round of 16 against Norway
The defeat also left questions about Brazil’s immediate future. The Canarinha had two penalties against Norway: Bruno Guimarães missed the first and Neymar converted the second, although the stoppage time came too late to avoid elimination.
The elimination once again leaves the same unknown that has haunted Brazil since 2002: when will it win its sixth World Cup. While the generation of Vinícius, Rodrygo and Endrick still has room to try, the 2026 World Cup could have been Neymar’s last participation with the Canarinha.