Brinjal eggplant (Solanum melongena) is an annual vegetable cultivated for its edible fruits, which are variable in shape, size and color. Scarlet eggplant (S. aethiopicum) and gboma eggplant (S. macrocarpon) are also cultivated but more locally in Africa. Domestication of brinjal eggplant took place in India and China, but today the plant is cultivated globally and with tremendous economic importance, especially in Asia and the Mediterranean. It is low in calories but rich in antioxidants and phenolic compounds. A warm climate favors the plant as it has a long growing season. Current eggplant breeding aims to develop F1 hybrids and traditional methods include pure-line selection, pedigree methods, and backcrossing for breeding for higher fruit yield, quality and resistance to diseases. In this chapter, we review recent developments including doubled haploids, marker-assisted breeding and tissue culture technologies, but we also focus on pre-breeding, trait discovery and hybridization with crop wild relatives. Broadening the genetic base of cultivated eggplant is a key to develop robust varieties. The primary gene pool includes only S. insanum, which can be easily crossed with cultivated eggplant to give highly fertile hybrids. The secondary and tertiary gene pools include several species of interest (S. dasyphyllum, S. incanum, S. linnaeanum, S. tomentosum, S. torvum, S. sisymbriifolium), which are more distant. Crosses of cultivated eggplant with tertiary gene pool species result in sterile or low fertility hybrids after embryo rescue or somatic hybridization. Still, these wild species are of interest as they are genetically very diverse and could provide tolerance to abiotic stresses, as well as resistance to pests and diseases.