Brazilian media simultaneously criticized Carlo Ancelotti after the defeat to Norway, arguing that the decision to bring Neymar onto the pitch was the turning point that caused the “Selecao” to collapse.
On the morning of July 6, the 1-2 defeat to Norway in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup created a fierce wave of criticism in Brazil. Alongside praising Erling Haaland, many newspapers and commentators directed their sharpest criticism toward coach Carlo Ancelotti, especially the decision to use Neymar in the second half.
Globoesporte described this as an unforgettable World Cup for Brazil as the national team experiences its longest championship drought in history. The newspaper also showered praise on Haaland with headlines such as “Haaland dominates Brazil”, while suggesting that inaccuracy and a lack of aggressive play were the reasons for the Selecao’s elimination.
ESPN Brasil also assessed Haaland as the decisive figure of the match, while noting that Neymar closed his “last dance” at the World Cup in tears. Commentator Paulo Cobos even called Ancelotti’s performance a “disaster”, while arguing that calling up Neymar was a baffling decision.
The heaviest criticisms came from UOL. Journalist Arnaldo Ribeiro assessed that Ancelotti disrupted the team’s balance when replacing the wingers with Endrick and Neymar. According to him, this decision caused Brazil to lose both its pressing capability and its transition speed.
The most attention-grabbing comment appeared right after that: “It wasn’t Neymar who collapsed from embracing Ancelotti, but it was Ancelotti himself who collapsed from embracing Neymar”. This opinion was quickly shared widely on Brazilian social media.
Writers Pedro Lopes and Thiago Arantes also assessed that this was the worst performance of a team managed by Ancelotti at the top level. Meanwhile, female commentator Milly Lacombe called the call-up of Neymar “a scandal” and argued that the current Brazil team has lost the collective identity that brought them success in the past.
After the shock against Norway, Ancelotti faces immense pressure, although the CBF still announced it would continue to place its faith in the Italian strategist for the campaign looking ahead to the 2030 World Cup.
