Ancelotti points to the hydration break as a crucial mistake for Brazil in the World Cup.

Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of the Brazilian national team, revealed the key to his team's defeat in the race for the 2026 World Cup title. The Italian, who took over the role in May 2025, became the first foreign coach to lead the “Samba Boys” and guided the team to qualification for the tournament with ease. However, the hope for a first world title since 2002 crumbled when Brazil was eliminated in the round of 16, losing to Norway.

In Group C, Brazil faced Japan in the knockout stage, where they secured a 2-1 victory. However, in the next match, they encountered a more challenging opponent and ended up losing by the same score, with Erling Haaland scoring two goals in the final moments. Ancelotti addressed the situation in detail, pointing to a specific moment he considers crucial in his analysis of the elimination: “I think we lost the World Cup during the hydration break against Norway.” The coach emphasized that up until that point, his team was controlling the game.

The Italian coach admitted that, although Norway had significant ball possession, his team still had control of the match. “It is true that Norway had a lot of possession in their midfield; they played the same way against England. They controlled the game and could have won,” he explained. Ancelotti acknowledged that his mistake was realizing that the team had lost control, leading him to make changes to the formation that, in his analysis, contributed to the defeat. “I made some changes to the team, and then we had the problem with Erling Haaland's goal.”

With this analysis, Ancelotti not only reflects on Brazil's early elimination but also highlights the importance of critical moments during a game. The Brazilian national team, now under Ancelotti's guidance, will need to learn from these mistakes to become a dominant force in world football once again. The team's next step will be to assess the lessons learned and prepare for future challenges, ensuring that they do not repeat the same errors on the road to the next major competition.