Brazil 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 knocked out by Norway in the Round of 16.Brazil’s campaign came to a disappointing end with a 2-1 defeat as Erling Haaland struck 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 he converted a deep penalty in stoppage time, but it was only a consolation as Brazil suffered their first World Cup exit since 1990.The result was a major upset for one of the tournament favourites, who topped Group C after drawing with Morocco and defeating Haiti and Scotland before edging past Japan 2-1 in the Round of 32.Reflecting on the defeat, Ancelotti admitted that the mood in Brazil’s camp was one of deep disappointment, but remained convinced that the encounter would lay the foundations for future success.“It is obvious that we are all very sad because the team has had, until now, not a spectacular World Cup, but a good one. I think that in today’s game we could have deserved to win. When a moment like this happens, you have to think that a defeat is the beginning of a new adventure. I believe that this defeat is not the beginning of a new cycle.Brazil created several opportunities throughout the contest, but failed to make them count. Bruno Guimarães missed a first-half penalty with the scores level, while Casemiro was unable to pick out Neymar with a cross during a promising attack that could have produced an equaliser.Ancelotti also defended the decision to allow Guimarães to 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 through injury, Guimarães had been identified as the designated taker.Despite the painful exit, Ancelotti stressed that his focus had already shifted towards rebuilding the national team ahead of the next World Cup.“We will continue to work for the national team, try to improve and look for new ideas. The same thing we did this year. I think the work was good, football is like that, sometimes you have to manage the sadness of a defeat. I’m used to that. We manage this defeat with a new impetus to the work and the evaluation of 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,” Marquinhos said. “We had a penalty kick, we also had other chances, but here’s the World Cup for you. Those who make the least mistakes are able to advance to the next round, and be victorious.”The defeat brought an end to Brazil’s remarkable record in the knockout stages of the World Cup. Before facing Norway, the Seleção had played 11 of their previous 16 matches, winning nine, drawing one and losing just once. Their only previous defeat at this stage came against Argentina in 1990, while they advanced over Chile on penalties after a draw in 2014.Brazil also saw a streak of eight consecutive World Cup quarter-finals come to an end, marking their first failure to reach the last eight since 1990.The loss continued another unwanted trend, with Brazil now suffering seven consecutive World Cup defeats against European opposition since beating Germany in the 2002 final. The absence of injured midfielder Lucas Paquetá added to the team’s problems as the tournament favorites went home much earlier than expected.