Commander Carlo Ancelotti decided to give priority to athletes with the most international experience to begin Brazil’s journey to the 2026 World Cup. In the match against Morocco, scheduled for this Saturday, the Brazilian team will register the largest number of players retained between two consecutive opening matches in the history of the competition.
If the formation worked on in the most recent preparatory activities is made official, the Italian coach will field eight athletes who played from the beginning in the first match of the 2022 tournament, in the victory against Serbia.
The changes to the starting team will be specific: the entry of Gabriel Magalhães in the place that belonged to Thiago Silva; the selection of Bruno Guimarães in the space that was occupied by Neymar; and the presence of Matheus Cunha in the role previously performed by Richarlison.
The group of eight athletes who started playing in Qatar and are tipped to start the duel against Morocco includes the following names: Alisson, Danilo, Marquinhos, Alex Sandro, Casemiro, Lucas Paquetá, Raphinha and Vini Jr.
Formation surpasses mark set by the 2006 team in Germany
Before this match, the maximum number of athletes repeated by the national team in a first World Cup game had occurred in the 2006 edition, when coach Carlos Alberto Parreira chose five professionals who started the 2002 title journey: Cafu, Lúcio, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Ronaldo.
Below, the detailed chronology shows the fluctuation of athletes maintained from one debut to another throughout the country’s trajectory in the tournament:
- 1930 to 1934: 0 players retained
- 1934 to 1938: 2 players retained (Leônidas and Martim Silveira)
- 1938 to 1950: 0 players retained
- 1950 to 1954: 1 player retained (Baltazar)
- 1954 to 1958: 2 players retained (Didi and Nilton Santos)
- 1958 to 1962: 4 players retained (Gilmar, Djalma Santos, Didi and Zagallo)
- 1962 to 1966: 4 players retained (Gilmar, Djalma Santos, Garrincha and Pelé)
- 1966 to 1970: 2 players retained (Jairzinho and Pelé)
- 1970 to 1974: 3 players retained (Piazza, Rivellino and Jairzinho)
- 1974 to 1978: 2 players retained (Leão and Rivellino)
- 1978 to 1982: 3 players retained (Oscar, Toninho Cerezo and Zico)
- 1982 to 1986: 3 players retained (Júnior, Sócrates and Careca)
- 1986 to 1990: 4 players retained (Branco, Alemão, Careca and Müller)
- 1990 to 1994: 2 players retained (Taffarel and Dunga)
- 1994 to 1998: 4 players retained (Taffarel, Cafu, Dunga and Bebeto)
- 1998 to 2002: 4 players retained (Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and Rivaldo)
- 2002 to 2006: 5 players retained (Cafu, Lúcio, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Ronaldo)
- 2006 to 2010: 3 players retained (Lúcio, Juan and Kaká)
- 2010 to 2014: 1 player retained (Júlio César)
- 2014 to 2018: 3 players retained (Thiago Silva, Marcelo and Neymar)
- 2018 to 2022: 4 players retained (Alisson, Danilo, Thiago Silva and Neymar)
