Carlo Ancelotti insisted Brazil’s defeat to Norway should be treated not as an ending but as the beginning of a rebuild after his side’s World Cup campaign was cut short in the round of 16.

Brazil’s 2-1 loss in New Jersey brought an abrupt end to a tournament in which Ancelotti believed his side had shown enough to compete deep into the knockout rounds, but the Italian accepted that his team had fallen short when it mattered most.

“We had a good World Cup campaign, and we deserved to win the match at some point, but we have to realise that this was a defeat and we have to find new ideas,” Ancelotti said. “I don’t think it’s the end but the start of a new cycle.”

Ancelotti felt Brazil had created enough opportunities to keep its run alive but struggled to break down a Norway side that spent long periods sitting deep. “Norway was locking their defensive field, and they were in their own half, and applying too much pressure was risky,” Ancelotti said about his side’s lack of possession.

The Brazil coach admitted the result had left the dressing room heavy with disappointment. “It’s a disappointing result and all of us are sad by it,” he said. “The players worked hard but in sports not always we can come correctly, and we have to accept the result and assess what happened. Everyone is profoundly sad, as the fans are.”

Yet Ancelotti, who only took in May 2025, was adamant the defeat would not alter his commitment. “We are going to continue to do our job and work for the national team like we did this year,” he said. “Sometimes in sports you have to manage the bitter taste of defeat, and I am used to it. We are going to use that sadness as fuel and improve.”

Priority

The 67-year-old also hinted at the next stage of Brazil’s evolution, suggesting that midfield renewal would now become one of his priorities. “In the midfield we have to move some players and need some young talent with high level to replace the seniors,” he said.

Ancelotti defended his decision of allowing Bruno Guimaraes to take the first-half penalty, which the Newcastle United midfielder squandered, “We did statistics for one year and also the rival players and for the national team Raphinha was the best option, and Neymar, then it would be Bruno and after that Gabriel Martinelli. At that point we felt Bruno was the best option,” he said.

For Brazil, there was no disguising the pain of another World Cup ending before the final weekend. But Ancelotti’s message was that this was not a collapse to be feared so much as a setback to be absorbed.