Neymar, the big surprise after more than two and a half years away from the “Canarinha”, was called up this Monday with the Brazilian national team to play in the World Cup 2026a great football event that will be held this summer in Mexico, Canada and the United States.
Along with Neymar will be the forwards Vinícius Junior and Raphinha, stars of Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, and the young Endrick, on loan from the Madrid team to the French Olympique Lyon.
The list of 26 called up for the World Cup, which will be played starting next month, was announced by the Brazilian coach, the Italian Carlo Ancelotti, in a busy and colorful ceremony at the futuristic Museo do Amanha, in Rio de Janeiro, before 700 journalists from 14 countries.
The inclusion of Neymar on the list was a surprise because the Santos attacker was never called up with the national team since Ancelotti took over the command of the “Verdeamarelha” exactly a year ago.
The Italian coach always clarified that he would only call up players in 100% physical condition, something that Neymar had not achieved since his arrival at Santos last year and after overcoming a series of serious knee injuries.
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Other surprises on the list were goalkeeper Weverton (Gremio), who had not been taken into account, and youth Rayan (Bournemouth-GBR), one of the great revelations of Brazilian football in recent times.
The big absentees, who will miss this World Cup due to serious injuries after having earned the trust of Ancelotti, are the attackers Estêvão (Chelsea) and Rodrygo (Real Madrid), and the defender Éder Militão (Real Madrid).
Those summoned for the 2026 World Cup, in which Brazil will try to win its sixth title after those obtained in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, will gather starting May 27 at the high-performance center that the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has in Teresópolis.
It should be noted that the “Canarinha” will play an upcoming friendly game with Panama on May 31 at the Maracaná stadium to say goodbye to its fans and the next day it will head to the United States.
During its preparation on American soil, Brazil will face Egypt on June 6 in Cleveland, in the last test before its debut in the 2026 World Cup.
It is indicated that the Brazilian team chose The Ridge hotel in Basking Ridge (New Jersey) as its training headquarters, and will use the facilities at Columbia Park – the New York Red Bulls training center – for its practices.
Brazil’s “Pentacampeona” will play the entire first phase of the tournament in the United States. FIFA World Cup 2026 integrating Group «C».
They will debut on Saturday, June 13 against Morocco (6 pm ET) at the New York/New Jersey Stadium, then they will face Haiti on Friday, June 19 (8:30 p.m. ET) in Philadelphia, and will play Scotland on Wednesday, June 24 (6 p.m. ET) in Miami.
Called list
– Goalkeepers:
Alisson (Liverpool-GBR), Ederson (Fenerbahçe-TUR) and Weverton (Gremio).
– Defenses:
Danilo (Flamengo), Wesley (Roma-ITA), Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Douglas Santos (Zenit-RUS), Marquinhos (PSG-FRA), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal-GBR), Bremer (Juventus-ITA), Leo Pereira (Flamengo), and Ibáñez (Al-Ahli-SAU).
– Midfielders:
Casemiro (Manchester United-GBR), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle-GBR), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad-SAU), Lucas Paquetá (Flamengo) and Danilo Santos (Botafogo).
– Forwards:
Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid-ESP), Raphinha (Barcelona-ESP), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal-GBR), Luiz Henrique (Zenit-RUS), Igor Thiago (Brentford-GBR), Endrick (Lyon-FRA), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United-GBR), Neymar (Santos) and Rayan (Bournemouth-GBR).
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— FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@fifaworldcup_es) May 18, 2026
