Brazil's World Cup nightmare: Neymar, injuries & why it all went so wrong for the Selecao & Carlo Ancelotti

The inquest into Brazil's disastrous World Cup exit is well underway after the five-time winners were unceremoniously dumped out of the tournament at the hands of dark horses Norway and the goals of Erling Haaland. In truth, the Selecao never really got going in North America - hamstrung by an ageing, rag-tag squad that was yet to gel as they often relied on Vinicius Jr to deliver the goods.

As the dust settles on

Twelve months on and the Italian tactician's future in the role is seemingly already in serious jeopardy as calls for his head grow louder back in Brazil, even if the manager himself is insistent that this is not the end, but "the start of a new cycle". With the benefit of hindsight, it's clear he got some seismic decisions badly wrong.

But where exactly did it all go awry for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup?

Creaking bones

It's been well documented that

Their three goalkeepers were 33, 32 and 38, respectively, while the average age of the defenders who were called up for the tournament was 31 - including former Juventus full-backs Danilo and Alex Sandro, who both feel like relics of a bygone era. In midfield, 34-year-old Casemiro was once again heavily relied upon, and ex-Liverpool man Fabinho, 32, was afforded plenty of minutes, too.

Bournemouth youngster Rayan (19) and Danilo of Botafogo (25) did provide a flicker of hope for the future, but Ancelotti acknowledged in the aftermath of Brazil's disastrous exit that there is a dire need for some fresh blood.

"We need some young talent, we need some high-level players coming into Brazilian football," the Italian tactician said. "This national team has a very solid group, great players that continue and some new players that can come in."

Neymar gamble

Of course, there was one other veteran whose inclusion in the travelling party has hogged the headlines: Neymar. Ancelotti sensationally named the 34-year-old in his squad amid significant pressure from the media and sections of the Selecao's fanbase, despite his last cap coming in October 2023 as a result of a string of fitness issues.

Lo and behold, the Santos superstar suffered a calf injury on the eve of the World Cup that ruled him out for "two to three weeks", leading to him missing Brazil's first two group-stage games and managing just 14 minutes off the bench against Scotland on matchday three. He looked well off the pace in his brief cameo in Miami, which had the air of a testimonial rather than the moment a country's hero returned.

Ancelotti tellingly didn't turn to the iconic forward at all in the dramatic last-32 victory over Japan, and while he was afforded slightly longer as substitute with his side chasing victory against Norway in the round of 16, Neymar

Significant oversight

Neymar's injury and subsequent lack of involvement made the decision to overlook Chelsea's Joao Pedro all the more baffling. The man directly affected by the dramatic recall for the Selecao's record goal-scorer,

It was getting to the point where it was almost assumed that Pedro would travel and perhaps even start at the World Cup as Brazil's No.9, with his versatility marking him out as a very useful attacking asset. Ancelotti even admitted when naming his squad that the forward "probably deserved to be on this list".

Amid what is certain to be a protracted and painful inquest into the five-time winners' World Cup exit, the bold call to snub the Chelsea striker looks set to be picked apart time and time again.

"I have to be honest, I think this elimination begins with the decisions from the bench," Brazil icon Ronaldo Nazario said in the aftermath. "I still don't understand why Joao Pedro was not part of this squad. He has had an exceptional season, he is in form, and Brazil needed a striker who could offer something different."

Muddled midfield

As a consequence of the squad that was picked and the aforementioned overreliance on ageing stars who are past their best, midfield was a particular area of weakness for Brazil, who leaned heavily on Newcastle talisman Bruno Guimaraes to both create and put in the hard yards.

There was initially just five central midfielders in Ancelotti's squad before Manchester United-bound Ederson was called up to replace injured right-back Wesley, including Lucas Paqueta who is predominantly a No.10.

Following the loss to Norway, the iconic Italian tactician pointed to the centre of the park as something that needs significant improvement for the Selecao: "We have to think about the future, but it is very evident that in the midfield, I think that we have to move some players."

Wrong man for the job?

There has already been plenty of heated debate around the fact that Guimaraes was the man to step up for the first-half penalty that was saved against Norway. It was a pivotal moment that ultimately proved to be decisive as Brazil later fell behind and never recovered.

Given he was his country's leading marksman at the tournament and in fine individual form, Vinicius was widely expected to shoulder the responsibility, but to everyone's surprise, it was the Newcastle captain who put the ball on the spot.

"We did statistics for the players and according to that, Raphinha was the best option [as penalty-taker]," he said. "The best person would be Raphinha and then Neymar [who weren't on the pitch], and after that, Bruno Guimaraes. After Bruno, it would be [Gabriel] Martinelli, so we chose Bruno Guimaraes as we felt he would be the best."

Injuries bit

Although Ancelotti certainly deserves criticism for some of his selection decisions before and during the World Cup, he can justifiably point to some pretty debilitating mitigating circumstances.

There is little doubt that Brazil's squad was significantly weakened by injuries both in the lead-up to and at the tournament proper, leaving them with very little quality depth at their disposal. Before the squad was even named, the likes of Eder Militao, Rodrygo and Estevao Willian had all been ruled out of contention - meaning the Selecao were shorn of their starting right-back and two potential starters or game-changers on the wings.

Their luck didn't change when the big event got underway. We've already touched on

'Not the end, but the start'

From Ancelotti's perspective, this monumental failure is the first step on what is going to be a long and winding road back to international football's top table for Brazil.

"A defeat is the beginning of a new adventure," the revered Italian said. "We have to keep improving, to find new ideas. It is not an end, it is the start of a new cycle.

"We will manage this defeat by bringing a fresh impetus to our work and the assessment of the players. We will try to improve and look for new ideas. The same as we did this year.

"I think the work we've done has been good. Football is like this; sometimes you have to manage the sadness of a defeat. I am used to this."