The five-time winners will have gone 24 years without lifting the trophy by 2026, but they will still have a team capable of more than just competing
The pre-tournament favourites, Brazil yet again came up short in their bid to win a sixth World Cup, falling at the quarter-final stage after a dramatic penalty shootout loss to Croatia.
That means that they will not have lifted the trophy for 24 years by the time the 2026 tournament kicks off, adding extra pressure to a squad that always has more eyes than most analysing their every move.
It is a squad that is likely to be without Neymar, though he will only be 34 by that point and might, given the disappointment of this last tournament, fancy one more go at picking up the ultimate prize in international football.
If we are to take Neymar at his pre-Qatar word and he won't be there in 2026, then who will take his place? And who from the 2022 team will still be around to go again in the United States, Canada and Mexico?
GOAL has had a go at putting together what could be their starting line up by that point…
Getty ImagesGK: Ederson
It's well established that Brazil have the best goalkeeping tandem in world football, with Alisson Becker and Ederson fighting it out to be the No.1.
Alisson has held off the challenge of the Manchester City man over the last few years, and it's a battle we see continuing through until the 2026 tournament too.
In the end, we've gone for the slightly younger man, with Ederson set to be 32 at the next World Cup, while Alisson will be 33, but in truth either could be the man between the sticks when the Selecao kick-off their competition.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Vinicius Tobias
When Brazil named their squad for the World Cup, right-back was an area that was spoken about as being their main weakness, highlighted by the fact that 39-year-old Dani Alves was still being selected.
Obviously the legendary ex-Barcelona man won't make it to 2026, and it's unlikely Danilo will either given he will be 34, but obvious up-and-comers are not easy to spot.
We've gone, then, with Vinicius Tobias, who has acquitted himself well since joining Real Madrid in the summer with some strong performances for Castilla in the Spanish third tier.
Another who there remains hope for is Yan Couto, who Manchester City beat Barcelona to sign in 2020, though he is yet to make an appearance for the Premier League champions as he spends his third successive season out on loan.
Getty ImagesCB: Eder Militao
Militao filled in well at right-back in Qatar after Danilo was first injured and then moved over to left-back to cover for the absences of others, but we expect him to slot back into his favoured central role over the next few years.
The Real Madrid centre-back is still only 24, and so should be entering the prime years of his career as we move towards the next World Cup.
Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes is 11 months younger than Militao and will be hopeful of forcing himself back into contention, while if you're looking for a potentially more inexperienced option, then Kaiky Melo could be a man to watch.
The 18-year-old was heavily linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid before moving to Spain to Almeria from Santos over the summer, and he has not looked overawed during his first months in La Liga.
Getty ImagesCB: Marquinhos
It was Marquinhos' missed penalty that confirmed Brazil's exit from the World Cup, but the Paris Saint-Germain star cannot be blamed for the Selecao's failures in Qatar.
Instead, he will in all likelihood be Brazil's captain in 2026, taking over the armband from his long-time central defensive partner, Thiago Silva.