The Brazilian National Team officially announced on Monday the list of 26 footballers who will compete in the 2026 World Cup, and the big news was the inclusion of Neymar, who will finally be part of the final roster of Carlo Ancelotti despite the physical doubts that surrounded him for much of the last year.
The Santos forward, who has already participated in the World Cups of Brazil 2014, Russia 2018, and Qatar 2022, will wear the Verdeamarela jersey again after more than two and a half years at the highest level of football. His inclusion generated one of the biggest ovations during the event held at the Museu do Amanhã in Rio de Janeiro, where the call-up was officially announced.
Since his arrival at the Brazilian national team, Ancelotti had avoided calling up Neymar and had made it clear that he would only take players "at 100%" physically. However, the attacker managed to make it into the final list and will be one of the major attractions of the tournament.
"It was very difficult to select these 26 players", acknowledged the Italian coach during the presentation. "This list can develop quality football, with an extraordinary collective spirit, good attitude, concentration, and discipline. It is not the perfect list because the perfect team does not exist", he added.
Furthermore, Ancelotti did not hide Brazil's ambition to lift the World Cup again after more than two decades. "We want to be the most resilient team in the world to try to win the World Cup,” he stated. And he emphasized: "I am not afraid to say that we can win the World Cup".
The call-up includes several of the top figures in European football, including Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha, Marquinhos, Gabriel Martinelli, Endrick, and Matheus Cunha. There were also notable absences, such as João Pedro, one of Chelsea's recent stars.
On the other hand, the Scratch faces some significant injuries such as Estêvão (grade 4 muscle injury in the right thigh), Rodrygo (tear in the anterior cruciate ligament and the external meniscus of the right knee), and Éder Militão (tear of the proximal tendon of the biceps femoris in the left leg).
Brazil will arrive at the World Cup as one of the top contenders with the goal of reclaiming the title they haven't won since Korea-Japan 2002. Before the tournament begins, they will play two preparatory friendlies: on May 31 against Panama at Maracanã and on June 6 against Egypt in Cleveland.
The five-time world champion will debut in the Group C on June 13 against Morocco in New Jersey. They will then face Haiti on the 19th in Boston and close the group stage against Scotland on the 24th in Miami, in search of advancing to the decisive stages and fighting for the coveted hexachampionship.
The 26 players called up from Brazil for the 2026 World Cup
Goalkeepers:
Alisson Becker (Liverpool)
Ederson (Fenerbahçe)
Weverton (Grêmio)
Defenders:
Alex Sandro (Flamengo)
Bremer (Juventus)
Danilo (Flamengo)
Douglas Santos (Zenit)
Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal)
Roger Ibañez (Al-Ahli)
