With nine forwards and no Neymar: Ancelotti reveals Brazil squad | OneFootball

Carlo Ancelotti released the list of players called up for the Brazilian National Team for the March FIFA date, where they will face France and Croatia in friendlies: he called up nine forwards and once again left Neymar out, in the last tour before the 2026 World Cup.

“The explanation for the list is that it depends a lot on injuries, obviously. It is a list made up of players who are 100 percent in their physical condition. We have important injured players, like Militão, Bruno Guimarães, Estevão, Rodrygo, to whom we wish a speedy recovery. We are going to play two important, intense matches in a very short period, including travel. I preferred to bring those who are 100%,” he stated in a press conference.

He also referred to the absence of Neymar, who was Brazil's number 10 in the last three World Cups and now seems to be increasingly distant from this year's World Cup: “It is a physical evaluation, not a technical one. Neymar is very good with the ball, but he needs to improve physically. Because, both for the coaching staff and for me, he is not at 100% of his potential.”

“He has to work to reach it. That is my opinion and that of the entire coaching staff who follow his matches and will continue to do so in the coming days and months,” Ancelotti added in the press conference.

The new additions to the list are Leo Pereira (Flamengo), Gabriel Sara (Galatasaray), Igor Thiago (Brentford), and Rayan (Bournemouth). “When we call up new players, we want to know how they fit into our environment, their character. We know perfectly how they are playing because we have evaluations of each player,” assured the Italian coach.

Brazil will face France on March 26 in Boston and then Croatia on the 31st in Orlando. Before the World Cup, the Verdeamarela will have another match against Panama on May 31 at the Maracanã, and then against Egypt on June 6 in Cleveland, United States.

The team led by Carlo Ancelotti will be part of Group C in the 2026 World Cup: they will share the group with Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. The matches will be in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Miami, respectively.

The last Brazil squad list before the World Cup

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