By Adegboyega Adeleye
Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that a tactical decision he made during the second-half hydration break in his side’s Round of 16 defeat to Norway proved decisive in the Selecao’s shock exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Brazil were level at 0-0 when play was paused for the mandatory cooling break, but the five-time champions went on to concede twice to Erling Haaland before crashing out 2-1 — their earliest World Cup elimination since 1990.
Reflecting on the defeat in an interview with ESPN, Ancelotti took responsibility for the tactical changes he made during the break.
“I think we lost the World Cup during the hydration break against Norway,” Ancelotti said.
“Why? Because, up until then, the team had been in control.”
The Italian explained that he mistakenly believed Brazil had lost control of the contest and altered his team’s shape, a decision he now regrets.
“That’s where my mistake may have been — thinking the team had lost control of the match when they hadn’t. I made a few changes to the team, and then we had the problem with Erling Haaland’s goal.”
“And then, in a World Cup, when you concede a goal in the 30th minute (of the second half), it’s very difficult to come back from that.”
FIFA introduced mandatory three-minute hydration breaks midway through each half at the expanded 2026 World Cup, allowing players to cool down while allowing coaches to deliver tactical instructions.
Despite Ancelotti’s admission, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, maintained during the tournament that the cooling breaks did not disrupt matches or influence results.
Brazil had opportunities to seize control before Norway’s late surge, with Bruno Guimaraes seeing an early penalty saved before substitute Endrick squandered a one-on-one chance just after the hour mark.
Ancelotti, however, reserved praise for Norway, who reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time before eventually losing 2-1 after extra time to England.
“It’s also true that Norway had a lot of possession in their half; they played the same way against England,” he said.
“They controlled the game, and they could’ve won.”
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