Palmeiras record eight international call-ups raise fitness concerns in World Cup cycle | OneFootball

Palmeiras have seen a club-record eight international call-ups in the current FIFA window, all foreign players, sharpening focus on workload and recovery.

According to Globo.com, the eight call-ups span five national teams. Giay and Flaco López are with Argentina, Gustavo Gómez, Maurício and Sosa with Paraguay, Piquerez and Emiliano Martínez with Uruguay, and Jhon Arias with Colombia.

The club’s priority during this pause is to restore players physically. Vitor Roque has not built a run in the XI since the Campeonato Paulista final because of ankle pain.

Paulinho, out since August last year after knee surgery, is in a decisive phase of recovery and has begun pitch work.

Of the 10 most-used players in 2026, five are away, namely Gómez, Flaco López, Maurício, Sosa and Piquerez, so they will not get a proper break.

Palmeiras are aligning their Health and Performance unit with national-team medical staffs, sharing data to curb overloads and reduce the risk of players returning injured.

There is a possibility some will be rested against Grêmio. Most of the call-ups play in friendlies on Tuesday, 31, two days before the Campeonato Brasileiro fixture.

The expansion of foreign-player slots since March 2024 has underpinned the current wave of selections. This season Aníbal Moreno left for River Plate and Facundo Torres for Austin FC, while Jhon Arias arrived. Foreigners now comprise one third of the squad, and the eight call-ups surpass the previous mark of six in June, October and November 2025.

Source: Globo.com