Carlo Ancelotti will have 2 matches against Ecuador and Paraguay in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in South America. He took charge at the Selecao two days ago, right after Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium farewell ceremony.
To prepare for these two important matches, Ancelotti has announced the call-up list early. Among them, there are many names that have returned to the Selecao squad. The trio of Casemiro, Antony and Richarlison were absent from the 2024 Copa America campaign but were all called up this time.
Casemiro has had his 3rd season with Man United. Last season, he played very poorly so he was not called up to participate in the Copa America 2024 campaign. After that, this midfielder regained his form and helped Man United to the Europa League final. Casemiro was previously Ancelotti's favorite at Real Madrid, so it is not difficult to understand Carletto's decision to call this midfielder.
Meanwhile, Antony has completely transformed when he joined Real Betis on loan from Man United in the winter transfer window. He has scored nine goals and provided five assists for Betis since then, helping them reach the Conference League final. Betis also finished 6th in La Liga, qualifying for next season's Europa League.
For Richarlison, he has scored 5 goals and 2 assists in the last season. This index is quite modest due to the 28-year-old star's constant injuries. Maybe his good performance in the Europa League final helped him score points in Ancelotti's eyes.
In this training session of Selecao, there were a few unfortunate absences. Newcastle midfielder Joelinton suffered a knee injury in the final stages of the Premier League last season. He has not played in the last 5 matches of the season of The Magpies and has not recovered in time. Meanwhile, Real Madrid striker Rodrygo is also absent after not playing in the last 3 matches of last season.
This time, Ancelotti's call-up list has no place for Neymar. The "Little Pele" has declined a lot in the past 3 years. Neymar last played for Brazil as a substitute in a match in April.
Carlo Ancelotti took over the Brazilian national team after a humiliating 1-4 defeat to Argentina in March, causing them to drop to 4th place in the South American 2026 World Cup qualifiers. With the format of this region, the top 6 teams will qualify for the World Cup finals next year held in the US, Mexico and Canada.
