This Monday (18), Seleção Brasileira will meet the 26 athletes chosen by Carlo Ancelotti to compete in Copa of Mundo in 2026. The announcement will take place at Museu of Amanhã, at Rio of Janeiro, at 5:45 pm (Brasília time). The Italian coach consolidated his first official list after months of observation and evaluations since taking charge of the team in May 2025.
The expectation mainly surrounds the positions still open. Após the friendlies against França and Croácia, Ancelotti tested tactical variations and different player profiles, making clear the hierarchy in key sectors, especially from midfield to forward. Algumas uncertainties, however, persist and focus fans’ attention in the last few days before the official announcement.
Contexto of uncertainties and surprises in the pre-list
Confederação Brasileira of Futebol (CBF) forwarded a shortlist of 55 names to Fifa on May 12th. Desse group, the 26 finalists will be revealed today. Duas situations marked the preliminary list: the absence of Estevão and the presence of Neymar.
Estevão will not travel to Estados Unidos. The Chelsea striker suffered a grade 4 muscle injury in his right thigh during a game against Manchester United in April, for Premier League. The CBF assessment indicated that the player would not recover in time for Mundial.
Neymar, in turn, appears among those called up on the pre-list. Davide Ancelotti, technical assistant and son of the coach, commented on the inclusion of Santos’s number 10: “If he is on this list it is because his physical condition is improving. Depois, until May 18th, we will reduce until we reach the 26 who will go to Estados Unidos”.
The Brazilian population is divided over the player’s presence in the tournament. Pesquisa from AtlasIntel recently released pointed out that 50.3% of respondents believe that Neymar should not be on the list. Outros 42% defend his call, while 7.7% were unable to respond. The striker will arrive at Copa at the age of 34, after a sequence of injuries and periods of low continuity on the field.
Ciclo pre-Cup marked by underperformance
Desde the elimination in Copa of the 2022 Mundo against Croácia, in the quarterfinals, Brasil played 34 matches. The success was only 50.9% of the possible points: 14 wins, 10 draws and 10 defeats. Esse performance represents the worst pre-World Cup cycle in Brazilian history.
The below-expected campaign contrasted with the need to consolidate the structure for 2026. The recent friendlies against França and Croácia brought more answers than questions about the composition of the squad, even with uncertainty remaining in certain positions.
Renovação from Ancelotti until 2030
The CBF announced on Thursday (14) the contract renewal of Carlo Ancelotti for another four years. The coach will now remain in charge of Seleção until Copa of Mundo in 2030. Ancelotti celebrated the extension of the contract and described 2026 as a year of “a lot of observation and with a lot of evaluations” in the preparation of the squad.
Transmissão and event details
CNN Brasil provides special coverage of the call. The broadcast starts at 3:30 pm on CNN Esportes’s YouTube, with a presentation by Jairo Nascimento and comments from Bruno Rodrigues, Raul Moura and Michel Bastos, world champion in 2010.
Outras tracking options include:
- CNN TV Brasil (Canal 577, KU band) for subscribers
- Streaming via Claro, Amazon Prime, Vivo Play, Samsung TV Plus and LG
- CNN Esportes YouTube
Copa of Mundo 2026 takes place on Estados Unidos, Canadá, and México from June 11th to July 19th. The Brasil integrates the Grupo C alongside Marrocos, Haiti and Escócia. The 26 called up will represent the largest participation in an Copa in history.
