Corinthians playmaker called up for Brazil's World Cup qualifiers | OneFootball

Corinthians will once again have a representative on the Brazilian national basketball team. A standout for Timão in the latest edition of the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB), point guard Elinho was included in the squad for the final games of the first phase of the qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup.

The team coached by Aleksandar Petrovic will face Venezuela and Colombia on July 2 and 6, respectively. The games will be played away from home, in the cities of Barquisimeto and Cali, and will wrap up Brazil’s participation in this stage of the competition. The goal is to maintain an unbeaten campaign before the decisive phase begins in the search for a spot at the World Cup in Qatar.

By Beto Miller/Ag. Corinthians

For this stretch of the qualifiers, Petrovic selected 13 players. The group includes names who took part in Brazil’s 2025 AmeriCup title and also features Mãozinha, a former Corinthians player.

Elinho earned his call-up thanks to the impressive performances he delivered this season. The point guard was one of the key pieces in Corinthians’ historic NBB campaign, a competition in which the team reached the semifinals for the first time and was ultimately eliminated by Pinheiros, the tournament runner-up.

The Brazilian national team’s preparation will begin on June 23 in Panama. The delegation will remain in the country until June 29, holding training sessions and making adjustments ahead of the official fixtures.

During that period, Brazil will also play a friendly against the Panamanian national team. The matchup is scheduled for June 28 in Panama City and will serve as the final test before the qualifiers resume.

After the training period, the team will travel to Venezuela, where it will face the home side in Barquisimeto on July 2. It will then travel directly to Colombia, the site of the matchup scheduled for July 6, bringing the first stage of the qualifiers to a close.

With a place secured in the second phase of the tournament, Brazil already knows its next challenges. In August, the national team will return to the court to face the United States, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico in six more games that will determine the representatives from the Americas at the 2027 Basketball World Cup, which will be held in Qatar.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.