Ancelotti calls up new Brazilian players for World Cup qualifiers
Already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, the Brazilian men’s national soccer team will take the field with several new additions in its last two qualifying matches (Rounds 17 and 18).
Coach Carlo Ancelotti announced on Monday afternoon (Aug. 25), at the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) in Rio de Janeiro, the list of 25 players called up - 10 of whom will have their first opportunity to train under the Italian coach. Among them are midfielders Lucas Paquetá (West Ham) and Joelinton (Newcastle), as well as forwards João Pedro (Chelsea), Kaio Jorge (Cruzeiro), and Luiz Henrique (Zenit). In addition to Kaio (Cruzeiro), the top scorer in the Brazilian Championship with 15 goals, only three others play in the national league: goalkeeper Hugo Souza (Corinthians), left-back Alex Sandro (Flamengo), and defender Fabrício Bruno (Cruzeiro).
Brazil will face Chile on September 4 at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. The last game of the qualifiers will be away against Bolivia on September 9.
During a press conference, the Italian coach explained the reasons behind the many new faces on the Brazilian team.
“I want to meet new players who can help the team, both technically and personally. The players I’m not calling up performed very well in the first call-up,” Ancelotti said.
Addressing Neymar’s absence, the coach took the opportunity to reiterate the main criteria he uses to evaluate players for selection.
“Neymar had a physical problem last week. I don’t need to test him - everyone knows Neymar very well - but he must arrive in good physical condition to perform at his best at the World Cup. A very important criterion is the physical aspect: [a player] must be at 100 percent fitness to be called up,” he pointed out.
Regarding the first call-up, Ancelotti retained 12 players. “We have 10 months ahead to prepare the final list. The idea is to have a core group of 15 or 16 players and test the others,” stated the coach, who hopes to evaluate 52 athletes before finalizing the squad for the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
After the qualifiers, the team will play friendlies in October, November, and December, with opponents and dates yet to be announced by the CBF.
Called up
Players called up for World Cup qualifiers
Goalkeepers
Alisson (Liverpool)
Bento (Al-Nassr)
Hugo Souza (Corinthians)
Defenders
Alexsandro (Lille)
Alex Sandro (Flamengo)
Caio Henrique (Monaco)
Douglas Santos (Zenit)
Fabrício Bruno (Cruzeiro)
Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal)
Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)
Vanderson (Monaco)
Wesley (Roma)
Midfielders
Andrey Santos (Chelsea)
Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle)
Casemiro (Manchester United)
Joelinton (Newcastle)
Lucas Paquetá (West Ham)
Forwards
Estevão (Chelsea)
Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
João Pedro (Chelsea)
Kaio Jorge (Cruzeiro)
Luiz Henrique (Zenit)
Matheus Cunha (Manchester United)
Raphinha (Barcelona)
Richarlison (Tottenham)
