Neymar’s Last Dance: Brazil Calls Up Their Idol for the 2026 World Cup
On May 18, 2026, at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, Carlo Ancelotti read aloud the 26 names that will represent Brazil in the World Cup. When he reached the bottom of the forwards list, the name that had been at the center of all Brazilian football debates for months finally dropped, and the room erupted: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior.
The Santos FC star returns to the Seleção after an absence of more than two and a half years. His last match for Brazil was on October 17, 2023, against Uruguay. Since then, a complicated knee injury kept him away from the national team throughout the qualifying phase. Now, at 34 years old and with notable performances in the Brasileirão and the Copa Sudamericana that convinced Ancelotti, Brazil’s all-time top scorer—79 goals in 128 matches—will play in his fourth and, expectedly, final World Cup.
Table of Contents
- The Announcement That Paralyzed Brazil
- The Complete List: Ancelotti’s 26
- Neymar’s Role According to Ancelotti
- Absences That Shaped the Roster
- Keys to Understanding the Squad
- The Locker Room’s Reaction
- Group C: The Path to the Hexa
- Conclusion
The Announcement That Paralyzed Brazil
The event was designed as a spectacle, and it delivered. Ancelotti chose the Museum of Tomorrow, one of Rio de Janeiro’s architectural icons, to present his first and only squad announcement at the helm of the Seleção. Journalists from dozens of countries were present or followed the press conference live. When the Italian manager reached the forwards, the tension was palpable.
“It was very difficult to choose these 26 players because the competition in this country is very, very high,” Ancelotti stated before beginning. “It’s not the perfect list, I know that, but the perfect team doesn’t exist. We want to be the most resilient team in the world to try and win the World Cup.”
If you want to witness the moment in full, here is the official announcement:
The Complete List: Ancelotti’s 26
This is the official Brazil squad for the 2026 World Cup, as announced by the CBF on May 18:
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Fenerbahçe), Weverton (Grêmio)
Defenders: Marquinhos (PSG), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Bremer (Juventus), Ibáñez (Al-Ahli), Léo Pereira (Flamengo), Wesley (Roma)*, Danilo (Flamengo), Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Douglas Santos (Zenit)
Midfielders: Casemiro (Manchester United), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Danilo (Botafogo), Lucas Paquetá (Flamengo)
Forwards: Vinícius Jr. (Real Madrid), Raphinha (Barcelona), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Endrick (Lyon, on loan from Real Madrid), Martinelli (Arsenal), Rayan (Bournemouth), Neymar (Santos)
*Wesley was later replaced by Ederson after suffering an injury.
Neymar’s Role According to Ancelotti
The Italian manager left no room for ambiguity regarding how he views Neymar’s role in the tournament. There will be no star treatment, nor a guaranteed spot in the starting XI. “He has the same obligation as the other 25: he might play, he might not, or he might be on the bench. I don’t want stars, I want players willing to help the team,” Ancelotti declared.
What he did preview is the position he envisions him in: not as a wide, dribbling left winger—his historic role at Barcelona and PSG—but rather as a more centralized forward with the freedom to move between the lines. This profile better suits his current physical state, where explosiveness is no longer his primary weapon, but his game-reading and creativity remain intact.
The consistency he showed in the preceding months with Santos was decisive. Ancelotti waited until he confirmed the player had a genuine competitive level before including him in the list. The bet is clear: if Neymar is physically fit, Brazil has something no other team in the world can offer.
Absences That Shaped the Roster
Brazil’s squad is not only remembered for those who are in it, but also for those who couldn’t make it. Ancelotti had to leave out three players who were regularly part of his plans due to injuries: Rodrygo Goes (Real Madrid), Éder Militão (Real Madrid), and Estêvão (Chelsea) were definitively ruled out.
The absence of Estêvão is particularly striking. The 18-year-old forward, considered one of the most promising talents in world football, had generated massive expectations regarding a possible appearance in the tournament, but physical issues prevented him from arriving in adequate condition.
Also left out of the squad was João Pedro, the Chelsea striker who finished the season as his team’s top scorer with 20 goals and 9 assists in the Premier League, marking one of the most talked-about exclusions from the list.
Keys to Understanding the Squad
Beyond Neymar, Ancelotti’s list allows us to identify several traits of the project the Italian coach has built in just over a year at the helm of the national team.
Experience and youth combined. Of the 26 called up, 15 were present at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Alongside them appear players arriving for their first tournament, such as Rayan (Bournemouth), the great revelation of the season in Europe, and Endrick, who at 19 completed an excellent loan spell at Lyon, scoring 8 goals and 7 assists in 21 Ligue 1 matches.
The attacking profile. With nine forwards called up, Brazil arrives with the widest possible offensive breadth. Competition for spots in the attack is fierce: Vinícius Jr., Raphinha, Martinelli, Matheus Cunha, Neymar, Endrick, Rayan, Luiz Henrique, and Igor Thiago. Ancelotti will have to manage egos and expectations within one of the most talented attacking groups in the national team’s history.
A bet on local talent. The call-up of Weverton (Grêmio) as third goalkeeper and the presence of several Flamengo players (Danilo, Lucas Paquetá, Léo Pereira, Alex Sandro) reflect the attention Ancelotti has paid to Brazilian football during his tenure.
The Locker Room’s Reaction
Inside the squad, the reception to Neymar was unanimously positive. Vinícius Jr., who since Qatar has occupied the role of the Seleção’s offensive reference, didn’t hide his enthusiasm: “He is our idol. Having him in the group fills us with confidence. Playing a World Cup by his side is a dream come true.”
Raphinha, one of the team’s leaders over the past two years, echoed the sentiment: “Neymar is the guy who’s going to guide us to the sixth star.”
Outside the locker room, the call-up received the backing of historical figures like Romário, Cafú, and Zico, who had spearheaded a public campaign in the preceding months demanding the Santos player’s inclusion in the final roster. The fans, meanwhile, flooded social media with the hashtag #BateNoPeito (Beat Your Chest) in the hours following the announcement.
Group C: The Path to the Hexa
Brazil will debut in the World Cup on Saturday, June 13 against Morocco at the New York/New Jersey Stadium. The Africans are the most demanding opponent in the group: semifinalists of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar—where they eliminated Spain and Portugal—they arrive at this tournament as one of the African teams with the strongest track record in international tournaments in recent decades.
The second match will be against Haiti on June 19 in Philadelphia, and the group stage will conclude with a duel against Scotland on June 24 in Miami.
The schedule positions the Morocco match as the real test of Brazil’s form in this initial phase. If Ancelotti decides to include Neymar from the first minute, that game will be the first great testing ground for the return of the ‘10’.
Conclusion
Brazil’s call-up for the 2026 World Cup is, above all, the story of a player who refuses to let his career end without the title he could never conquer. Neymar has won Copas del Rey, Champions Leagues, and domestic leagues, but the World Cup has always slipped away from him in the quarter-finals. This is his final opportunity.
For the fans who have followed him since his early days at Santos, seeing the ‘10’ in the yellow and green jersey in North America will be, regardless of the result, an emotionally powerful conclusion. For Ancelotti, the gamble is clear: if Neymar is physically fit, Brazil has in him something no other team in the world can replicate.
The ball starts rolling on June 13. What happens next depends solely on the pitch.