Brazil squad World Cup 2026: Carlo Ancelotti's final 26-man selection (original) (raw)

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - MAY 31: Igor Thiago of Brazil celebrates scoring his team's fifth goal with teammate Endrick during the international friendly match between Brazil and Panama at Maracana Stadium on May 31, 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

Brazil's squad has plenty of new - and familiar - faces (Image credit: Getty Images)

The Brazil World Cup 2026 squad has been finalised – with some serious omissions.

Carlo Ancelotti's World Cup 2026 selection is one of the strongest squads at the tournament, with the big news being that all-time record scorer Neymar has been included at the age of 34.

But Joao Pedro, Richarlison, Savinho, Gabriel Jesus, Andrey Santos and 113-cap Thiago Silva all miss out on Ancelotti's final selection.

Brentford striker Igor Thiago and Bournemouth wonderkid Rayan were both selected for their first call-ups in March – with the latter described by FFT's Joe Donnohue as a starlet, “characterised by a willingness and desire to lock-and-load whenever he had a sight of goal,” in our The Boy's A Bit Special series – and both have been rewarded with a place on the plane.

Premier League faces Casemiro, Gabriel Martinelli, Matheus Cunha and Bruno Guimaraes are all named, however, alongside Vinicius Kr, Raphinha and 19-year-old Endrick.

Ancelotti recently extended his contract with the Selecao, who are looking to end a 24-year wait to bring the World Cup home again.

Is this squad good enough to go all the way in North America?

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Squad

Brazil World Cup 2026 squad: The final selection

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Carlo Ancelotti (Image credit: Getty Images)

Carlo Ancelotti has an extensive club football CV, with successful stints at Real Madrid, AC Milan, PSG, Bayern Munich and Chelsea, meaning he has won each of Europe's top five leagues, but the Brazil job is his first in international management.

His very recent connection with Real Madrid means several players are used to his ways, which will help as Brazil look to end a 24-year wait for the sixth World Cup win.

His hand has been somewhat forced during his early team selection, with the top scorer in Brazilian history, Neymar, not available through injury in each of his squad selections.

Star player

Who is Brazil's star player?

Brazil Copa America 2024 squad during the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 Group D match between Paraguay and Brazil at Allegiant Stadium on June 28, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Vinicius Junior celebrating a goal at the 2024 Copa America (Image credit: Getty Images)

Vinicius Jr came incredibly close to Brazilian immortality when he finished second in the 2024 Ballon d'Or, and while he had a slightly below-par season last time out, he's still one of the best players in the world.

Ranked at no.3 in FourFourTwo's list of the best left wingers in the world right now, he will have a massive part to play, should Brazil be successful in North America next year.

However, he will need to up his output for the national team, having only found the net seven times in 41 appearances for his country.

Best XI

Marcus Alves is a freelance journalist based in Barcelona, having previously lived in Lisbon and Sao Paulo. With over 15 years of experience in the sports industry, he has written for FourFourTwo since 2012 and has also done work as a producer, translator and across social media, collaborating with leading media outlets including BBC, ESPN, Bleacher Report, The Telegraph, Kicker, Al Arabiya, FIFA, Folha de Sao Paulo and UOL. Alves covered 12 games in 15 days during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but none of them included the 7-1 - he still hasn’t watched the full match to this day.