Europe's curse! Brazil has been unable to defeat European teams in World Cup playoffs for 24 years

The defeat against Norway in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup once again highlighted a painful trend for the Brazilians.

Details: The Seleção's playoff struggles at the World Cup continue: since capturing their fifth title in 2002, Brazil has consistently fallen at the knockout stages to European opposition.

Brazil's World Cup record since 2002 reads like a true "European nightmare": in 2006 it was France, in 2010 the Netherlands, in 2014 Germany and the Netherlands, in 2018 Belgium, in 2022 Croatia, and now Norway. This phenomenon has become a systemic problem, haunting the five-time world champions for nearly a quarter of a century.