No Neymar but one return, Brazil announce squad for upcoming friendlies | OneFootball

With qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada already secured, the Brazil National Team continues its preparations, and this Monday coach Carlo Ancelotti announced the squad list for the next two friendlies, which will be against Senegal and Tunisia. Among the most important news is, once again, the absence of Neymar.

The legendary forward of Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain returned to Santos at the beginning of 2025 but, between injuries and a performance that still leaves much to be desired, he has not been able to earn the trust of the Italian coach, and his presence at the World Cup is becoming more and more doubtful.

On the other hand, the squad includes Fabinho, who has not been called up since Qatar 2022, Luciano Juba, a defender from Bahia, and Vitor Roque, one of the stars of Palmeiras. “I want to take advantage of these matches to observe new players like Fabinho, Luciano Juba, and Vitor Roque, who is having a great championship. We have seven players from the Brasileirao, which shows the good level of the league. With these friendlies, we will look to define a more stable foundation for the National Team,” he said at a press conference.

He also spoke about Vinicius Junior’s current situation and assured that he did not like the gestures made when he was substituted in the classic against Barcelona. “We have a good relationship and when something happens, we communicate. I spoke with Vinicius about his reaction, I told him what I thought, that he made a mistake. He apologized and it’s resolved. He is an important player for us, who can help us a lot. I have great affection for him. I am not his father or his brother, I just want to be his coach,” he said.

The players called up by Ancelotti for Brazil

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