Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti insisted his side’s shock exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup should be seen as the start of a new era rather than the end of a journey after the five-time champions were eliminated by Norway in the Round of 16.Brazil’s campaign came to a disappointing end with a 2-1 defeat, as Erling Haaland scored twice in the second half to send Norway into the quarter-finals for the first time in the history of the men’s team. Neymar: converted a penalty deep into stoppage time, but it proved to be a mere consolation as Brazil suffered their first World Cup exit since 1990.The result was a huge defeat for one of the tournament favourites, who topped Group C after drawing with Morocco and beating Haiti and Scotland before losing 2-1 to Japan in the Round of 32.Reflecting on the defeat, Ancelotti admitted that the mood in the Brazilian camp was one of deep disappointment but remained confident that the defeat would lay the foundations for future success.“It is clear that all of us are very sad because the team has, until now, not a unique World Cup but a good one. I think that in the current game we may also deserve to win. When a moment like this happens, you have to think that the defeat is the beginning of a new adventure. I believe that this defeat is not the end, it is the beginning of a new cycle,” he said.Brazil created many opportunities throughout the competition but failed to make them count. Bruno Guimarães missed a first-half penalty with the scores level, while Casemiro failed to pick out Neymar with a cross during a promising attack that could have produced an equaliser.Ancelotti also defended the decision to let Guimarães take the penalty instead of Vinícius Júnior, explaining that his coaching staff had spent a year analyzing the team’s penalty options. With Neymar not on the pitch at the time and Raphinha unavailable due to injury, Guimarães was identified as the designated taker.Despite the painful exit, Ancelotti stressed that his focus has now shifted to rebuilding the national side ahead of the next World Cup.“We will continue to work for the national team, trying to improve and find new ideas. The same thing we did this year. I think the work is good, football is like that, sometimes you have to manage the sadness of a defeat. I’m used to that. We will handle this loss with a new impetus to work and evaluate the players,” he concluded.Brazil captain Marquinhos echoed his manager’s frustration, admitting the team failed to capitalize on the chances they created.“We really missed the opportunities we created,” Marquinho said. “We had a penalty kick, we had other chances too, but here is the World Cup for you. Those who make the least mistakes will be able to advance to the next round, and to win.”The defeat ended Brazil’s remarkable record in the World Cup knockout stages. Before facing Norway, the Seleção had played 11 previous Round of 16 matches, winning nine, drawing one and losing just one. Their previous defeat at this stage came against Argentina in 1990, while they lost to Chile on penalties after a draw in 2014.Brazil also saw their streak of eight World Cup quarter-final appearances end, marking their first failure to reach the last eight since 1990.The loss continued another unwelcome trend, with Brazil now suffering seven straight World Cup knockout defeats against European opposition since beating Germany in the 2002 final. The absence of injured midfielder Lucas Paquetá further compounded the team’s woes as the tournament favorites returned home earlier than expected.