Ancelotti announces Brazil's 26-man World Cup squad; Neymar's inclusion remains uncertain

Carlo Ancelotti was set to announce Brazil's 26-player roster for the 2026 World Cup on Monday afternoon at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, and the question hanging over the entire exercise was whether Neymar would be on it.

The Santos forward had made the preliminary list of 55 players submitted to FIFA on May 11, but Ancelotti had not called him up once during his tenure as Brazil's coach. Neymar, now 32, was chasing a fourth World Cup appearance, and his potential inclusion would likely mean the exclusion of João Pedro, a player previously considered a lock for the tournament. The uncertainty reflected a larger tension: Neymar's undeniable genius as a footballer weighed against the physical durability question that had shadowed him since his knee surgery.

Neymar had spent the early months of 2026 recovering from left knee surgery before making his competitive return in the São Paulo state championship. By the time Ancelotti's announcement approached, he had appeared in 15 of Santos' 30 matches that year. The numbers told a story of his impact: the team had won eight games with him on the field and lost only four, compared to ten defeats in the 30 matches overall. His presence seemed to matter.

But Ancelotti's public position had remained consistent. When asked about Neymar by The Guardian, the Italian coach said the decision rested entirely on what the player demonstrated physically. "With Neymar, we need to evaluate only his physical condition, because his talent is indisputable," Ancelotti explained. It was a clear threshold: full fitness, or no call.

The support for Neymar's inclusion, however, was nearly universal among those who knew him best. Casemiro, his teammate since childhood, was blunt: "Neymar doesn't have to prove anything to anyone." Raphinha went further, calling Neymar "the guy for the sixth title," arguing that Brazil could not afford to overlook a player of his caliber if he was physically ready. Fernando Diniz, who had coached Brazil before Ancelotti, said he would certainly select Neymar and expected Ancelotti would too. Even Cuca, Santos' manager who worked with Neymar daily, acknowledged that while the player was no longer the 20-year-old version of himself, he still created "enormous difficulties" for opponents and could organize play across multiple attacking positions.

Santos' president, Marcelo Teixeira, framed the club's entire project around preparing Neymar for this moment—not just physically, but mentally and technically. The organization had invested in his recovery with the explicit goal of returning him to the national team as a major force.

Yet there was dissent in the chorus. Endrick, who would likely be on the squad himself, was noncommittal when asked about Neymar, saying he had not formed a firm opinion and simply hoped the player could stay healthy and play enough matches to at least be considered.

Other roster questions remained open as well. Estêvão's injury meant the attack would likely feature Igor Thiago and Endrick without issue, but one final spot was contested among three candidates: Pedro from Flamengo, Rayan from Bournemouth, and Andrey Santos from Chelsea. The 22-year-old midfielder had appeared in four of Ancelotti's five previous squad lists but had fallen out of favor after Danilo from Botafogo delivered a standout performance in the most recent international window. Danilo, despite only one prior call-up in the cycle, seemed positioned to claim the spot, especially given that Davide Ancelotti, the coach's son and assistant, had worked with him at Botafogo and admired his play. Rayan, at 19, had earned one cap and played just 14 minutes in a March victory over Croatia. Pedro, 28, had not been called since 2023 under interim coach Ramon Menezes and had been left out by every subsequent selector.

As the announcement hour approached, the central drama remained Neymar—whether a player whose talent was beyond question could convince his coach that his body was ready for the World Cup stage.