Ancelotti: Brazil Lost the World Cup During a Water Break

Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti has opened up about his team's early exit from the 2026 World Cup, pointing to a hydration break as the moment everything unravelled. The Seleção reached the round of 16 but fell 1-2 to Norway in a match Ancelotti believes they had under control. "We were in command until the water break. Norway had plenty of possession in their own half, but that was it - they weren't hurting us," the Italian said in a candid interview. "Then I made changes. I thought we'd lost control, but we hadn't. That was my mistake. After the substitutions, Erling Haaland scored, and we couldn't recover." Ancelotti noted that Norway played a similar game against England later in the tournament and nearly won. "They deserved to beat us. We handed them our advantage during that pause for a drink," he added. The defeat sent Brazil home much earlier than expected, with the manager taking full responsibility for the tactical misstep.