Ancelotti Keeps Neymar in Brazil World Cup Squad Thoughts
Carlo Ancelotti has kept Neymar in the brazil world cup squad conversation, saying the forward “was and is” in his thoughts while Brazil’s final selection waits for later. The Brazil boss did not lock him in, and that leaves a player who has missed the national team since 2023 still fighting for a place this summer in North America.
Ancelotti’s Neymar Decision
That line from Ancelotti is the clearest signal so far. Neymar is not out of the picture, but he is not safely in it either, and the decision will come when Brazil name the squad for the tournament.
The uncertainty sits on top of a difficult run for the forward. He has struggled for consistent fitness since tearing his ACL towards the end of 2023, and repeated injuries have limited how often he has been able to play at club level.
Neymar’s Injury Run
Neymar returned to Santos in January 2025 after a two-year injury-hit spell in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Hilal. That move brought him back to Brazil, but it did not erase the fitness questions that have shadowed him since the ACL tear.
He has not played for Brazil since 2023, and that absence is part of why this call carries real weight. Neymar has featured at each of the last three World Cups, so leaving him out would break a run that has lasted more than a decade.
Brazil World Cup Squad Watch
The pressure point is simple. Brazil are heading toward a final squad decision this summer, and Ancelotti’s stance leaves room for Neymar but no guarantee of a recall.
If Neymar is left out, it would be the first time since 2010 that he misses Brazil’s World Cup squad. Dunga decided then that he was too young and inexperienced to go to South Africa despite a popular movement pushing for his inclusion, a reminder that this decision has already defined one major turning point in his international career.
For now, the forward’s place rests on what Brazil see when the squad is named later. Ancelotti has not closed the door, and Neymar remains in the frame as the summer tournament in North America gets closer.
