Brazil's 2026 World Cup Squad: Ancelotti's Seleção

It has been twenty-four years since Brazil won the World Cup. 2002. Ronaldo R9's goals in the final against Germany in Yokohama. The most celebrated tournament performance by a team built around one of the greatest individual strikers who ever played the game. Since then, Brazil have been knocked out in the quarter-finals three times and the last sixteen twice. A nation that has won the trophy five times has gone almost a quarter of a century without it.

This summer they have a new manager, a squad of genuine depth and a front line led by Vinicius Junior that is one of the most exciting in world football. Carlo Ancelotti — the most successful manager in Champions League history — has taken charge of the Seleção. And Neymar, Brazil's all-time leading scorer, has fought his way back from injury to be included in the squad. This is Brazil's year to end the drought. Whether they can deliver is the question that will drive their story through the summer.

The Group Stage Draw: Group C

Brazil are in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti and Scotland. They open against African champions Morocco on 13 June at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, then face Haiti on 19 June in Philadelphia and close the group against Scotland on 24 June at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. It is a straightforward group for the five-time world champions and Ancelotti will be hoping to use it to settle the squad and build momentum before the knockout rounds begin.

Scotland in the final group game is the fixture the Tartan Army have been dreaming about since the draw was made. Brazil will be expected to win all three. What matters is who Ancelotti sends out, how the combinations develop and whether his squad is clicking by the time the knockouts arrive.

The Full Brazil 2026 World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Alisson (Liverpool) — One of the best goalkeepers in the world and a player whose connection with Ancelotti from their time together at Real Madrid gives Brazil an added dimension of comfort between the sticks. Alisson's shot-stopping, his distribution and his commanding presence make him the clear first choice and one of the most important players in the squad.

Defenders

Marquinhos (PSG) — The captain. One of the most experienced and consistently excellent defenders in world football. Marquinhos gives Brazil leadership, technical quality and the ability to organise a defence that Ancelotti expects to hold firm even when the attack is operating at its most expansive. His experience in the biggest Champions League and World Cup matches makes him indispensable.

Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal) — The central defensive partner to Marquinhos and a player whose outstanding season at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta has established him as one of the best defenders in the Premier League. His aerial dominance, his aggression in the tackle and his composure when Brazil are building from the back make him a guaranteed starter.

Bremer (Juventus) — A powerful central defensive option who gives Ancelotti physicality and an ability to match the most direct centre-forwards at the tournament.

Danilo (Flamengo) — The experienced right-back who has been a reliable presence in the national team and whose leadership and reading of the game give Brazil depth in that position.

Wesley (Roma) — The young right-back who has developed impressively at club level and who gives Ancelotti a dynamic, attacking option wide on the right.

Alex Sandro (Flamengo) — Left-back cover providing experience and composure from the defensive positions.

Leo Pereira (Flamengo), Ibañez (Al-Ahli), Douglas Santos (Zenit) — Additional defensive depth giving Ancelotti options across the back line.

Midfielders

Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United) — One of the most complete midfielders in the Premier League and the player who anchors Brazil's central midfield. His ability to win the ball, his range of passing and his capacity to drive forward with the ball at his feet make him central to how Ancelotti wants to play. His performances for Newcastle have been consistently outstanding and he goes into the World Cup as one of the best midfielders in Europe.

Casemiro (Manchester United) — The experienced defensive midfielder who won three Champions Leagues at Real Madrid under Ancelotti. His relationship with the manager gives Brazil a player who understands exactly what is being asked of him and who brings tournament-winning experience that few players can match. At 34 he may be coming to the end at the very highest level, but in a tournament environment his reading of the game and his presence are invaluable.

Lucas Paquetá (Flamengo) — A technically gifted attacking midfielder who gives Brazil a different creative option in the forward areas of the pitch. His ability to carry the ball, to find pockets of space and to deliver in the final third makes him one of the more exciting players in the squad when given the opportunity to play freely.

Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Danilo Santos (Botafogo) — Additional midfield options providing depth and different attributes to what Guimarães and Casemiro offer.

Forwards

Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) — The face of this Brazil squad and the player Ancelotti knows better than almost any coach on the planet. He won the 2022 Champions League Final against Liverpool under Ancelotti at club level. He has won the Champions League again since. His pace, his directness, his dribbling ability and his growing capacity to score in the biggest moments make him Brazil's most important attacking player and the tournament's most dangerous wide forward. Ancelotti's appointment was widely seen as an opportunity to build the Seleção around what Vinicius does best, and that is exactly what the squad reflects.

Raphinha (Barcelona) — The Barcelona winger who was Brazil's top scorer in World Cup qualification, contributing five goals across the campaign. His technical quality, his direct running and his ability to deliver from wide positions give Brazil a threat on the right flank that opponents must account for from the first minute. He has been outstanding for Barcelona under Hansi Flick and carries that form into the summer.

Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) — The Arsenal forward who gives Brazil pace, directness and an ability to press defenders relentlessly from the front line. His energy and his willingness to run in behind make him one of the most effective pressing forwards in the squad and one of the players who benefits most from the space that Vinicius and Raphinha create.

Matheus Cunha (Manchester United) — One of the Premier League's most dynamic and unpredictable forwards. Cunha's ability to play across the front line, his creativity in tight areas and his willingness to take on defenders make him one of the most exciting attacking options Ancelotti has from the bench or from the start.

Neymar (Santos) — Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 79 goals. The return of Neymar is one of the stories of this tournament. After prolonged injury struggles that have limited his availability over the past three seasons, he has fought his way back to fitness at Santos and earned his place in Ancelotti's squad. Nobody knows how much Neymar of 2026 we will see at this World Cup — his fitness remains a question. But a fully fit Neymar alongside Vinicius and Raphinha is the most frightening attacking combination in world football. The hope that he can contribute, even sporadically, is one of the reasons Brazilian supporters allow themselves to believe this could be their year. Shop the Neymar Brazil hoodie at Players Couture.

Endrick (Lyon) — At nineteen years old, Endrick is one of the most exciting young forwards in world football. He has been developing at Lyon after leaving Real Madrid's academy system and brings the kind of explosive quality that made him one of the most talked-about teenagers in European football. His involvement at this World Cup will give Brazil a glimpse of what the next generation looks like.

Igor Thiago (Brentford), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Rayan (Bournemouth) — Additional forward depth giving Ancelotti options and ensuring that Brazil's attacking unit is never one injury away from a crisis.

The Notable Omissions

Ancelotti made clear his philosophy from the start: only players at 100% physical fitness make the squad. That principle has shaped some of the biggest decisions. Thiago Silva, at 41 one of the most experienced defenders Brazil have ever produced, has not made the cut after a difficult final season at Chelsea. Estevao, the teenager who was widely expected to make the squad, missed out. Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus and Joao Pedro were also omitted, leaving a squad that is more Ancelotti's own than any previous Brazil coach's since he took the job in 2025.

Twenty-Four Years. Can Ancelotti End the Wait?

The last time Brazil won the World Cup, Ronaldo R9 ended his injury nightmare with two goals in the final in Yokohama. The squad Ancelotti has assembled is the most genuinely talented Brazil have brought to a tournament since that 2002 side. Vinicius is the best wide forward in world football. Raphinha is in career-defining form. Neymar, if fit, changes what is possible. The midfield has quality and experience in Bruno Guimarães and Casemiro. The defence is organised and the goalkeeper is world-class.

What Brazil have needed for two decades is a manager who can make the sum of the parts perform as a collective rather than relying on individual brilliance to carry them through. Ancelotti is the most decorated manager in the history of European club football. Whether those skills translate to the international arena, with its shorter preparation periods and different pressure dynamics, is the real test. If they do, Brazil will be in the final in New Jersey on 19 July.

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