Ancelotti Names Neymar in Brazil 2026 WC Provisional Squad

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti included Neymar in the nation's 55-man provisional squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, but cautioned that selecting the 34-year-old forward for the final 26-man roster remains a challenging call ahead of the May 18 announcement.

The tournament, hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, begins next month. Neymar, Brazil's all-time leading scorer who plays for Santos FC, has not appeared for the national team since an ACL injury in October 2023 during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. He was omitted from recent friendlies in March but earned a spot on the preliminary list through recent club form, logging 13 appearances this season with six goals and three assists. In his last nine games for Santos, he has scored four goals and provided one assist, including a goal in a 2-0 win over RB Bragantino last weekend.

"When you have to choose, you need to take many things into consideration," Ancelotti said in an interview. "Neymar is an important player for this country because of the talent he has always shown. He has had some problems, and he is working hard to recover. He has improved a lot recently and is playing regularly....