An absolutely ridiculous XI left out of Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad | OneFootball

Neymar has made Brazil’s World Cup squad, but few nations are blessed with such talented footballers and several of them haven’t been selected by Carlo Ancelotti.

Five-time winners of the World Cup, Brazil haven’t tasted success in the competition since 2002. But a group of gifted players will travel to North America to rectify that this summer.

We’ve put together an XI of big-name players Ancelotti has left out of his World Cup squad that we reckon could at least be competitive against some of the other sides on show.

GK: Lucas Perri

Perri has never been capped by Brazil, but his performances for Leeds United this season have certainly been worthy of a call-up.

Instead, Ancelotti will rely on Alisson and have ex-Manchester City keeper Ederson in reserve. They’ll muddle through.

RB: Vanderson

Monaco have endured a disappointing season in Ligue 1, failing to qualify for any European competition, which has surely impacted Vanderson’s World Cup chances.

The 24-year-old has won seven caps for Brazil, including three in 2025, but none of those came under Ancelotti. Perhaps his time will come again in the future.

CB: Eder Militao

Militao was ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a hamstring tear playing for Real Madrid in April.

The defender has earned 38 caps for Brazil and was likely a starter in the heart of Ancelotti’s defence. He’ll be a huge miss for Brazil this summer.

CB: Thiago Silva

Silva defied the passage of time during his four-year spell in the Premier League with Chelsea and is still doing the business for Porto.

The veteran defender helped the Portuguese giants win the league this season and reach the Europa League quarter-finals.

Alas, his form hasn’t been quite enough to twist Ancelotti’s arm. Silva was named in Brazil’s preliminary squad, but hasn’t made the final cut.

LB: Alex Telles

There was quite a bit of excitement around Telles when he signed for Manchester United in 2020, but he never delivered on the hype. Still, he’s not the worst Brazilian to play at Old Trafford.

The left-back is now back in Brazil with Botafogo, but was never a serious contender to make the squad even though he played at the last World Cup in 2022.

CM: Andrey Santos

The Chelsea youngster has rarely lived up to his touted potential at Stamford Bridge.

West Ham had an enquiry rejected out of hand last summer; if we’re being slightly cruel, he’d have slotted right in at the relegation-destined Hammers.

Still, Santos is only 22 and could improve drastically under Xabi Alonso’s management. But his omission from Brazil’s World Cup is not much of a surprise.

CM: Ederson

Perma-linked with Manchester United in recent years, Ederson has not managed to be selected for this summer’s World Cup.

The 26-year-old Atalanta midfielder has won three caps for his country, but has been overlooked for more experienced options like Casemiro and Lucas Paqueta.

RW: Rodrygo

Rodrygo was ruled out of the tournament after suffering an ACL injury at the start of March.

The Real Madrid winger beats out competition from a revitalised Antony to make our unfortunate XI and his habit of scoring big Champions League goals could have come in handy for Brazil in the knockout rounds.

CAM: Estevao

One of the best teenagers in world football, Esteavo was destined to be one of this World Cup’s breakout stars until suffering a hamstring injury last month.

The Chelsea creator has caught the eye at Stamford Bridge this season and you’d expect him to become a mainstay for Brazil in future tournaments.

LW: Savinho

Since joining Manchester City in 2024, Savinho has watched the likes of Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo arrive at the Etihad.

The winger has also had to contend with Jeremy Doku threatening to overcome his inconsistencies and blossom into one of the finest wingers around.

As such, Savinho has become a marginalised figure at City and is normally only wheeled out in times of heavy rotation.

A shoo-in for selection if the World Cup was staged two years ago, the 22-year-old will be hoping to kickstart his career next season.

ST: Joao Pedro

Arguably the most surprising exclusion of all, Pedro will not be going to North America despite impressing in his debut season at Chelsea.

Signed from Brighton last summer, the 24-year-old has scored 15 goals in 34 Premier League games this term, as well as three in eight Champions League appearances.

Fellow English-based strikers Richarlison and Gabriel Jesus will also be spending the summer kicking their heels.