Do not dream small" - that is the message the Brazilian Football Confederation issued on the day Carlo Ancelotti announced the list of 26 players participating in the 2026 World Cup.
The ceremony was held grandly in Rio de Janeiro, with music, stage performances and the participation of many former World Cup champions, celebrities and influential figures in Brazilian football.
After the emotional opening to honor Selecao's five world championships, Ancelotti successively announced the list of players for each position: goalkeeper, defender, midfielder and striker.
And when the Italian strategist read the name from Igor Thiago to Luiz Henrique without mentioning Joao Pedro of Chelsea, everything was almost clear: Neymar returned to the Brazilian national team.
This is the first time Neymar has appeared in the Selecao shirt since the serious knee ligament injury sustained in the match against Uruguay in October 2023. The player with the most goals in the history of the Brazilian national team will participate in his fourth World Cup in his career.
Neymar's return will certainly create a big change in the operation of Brazil's attack. Since debuting for the national team in 2010, he has always been the center of Selecao's play. But at the age of 34 and after a long period of struggling with injuries, the question is whether Neymar will accept the supporting role instead of continuing to be the number one core.
Neymar's recent form in Santos' colors is not too convincing. Therefore, the decision to remove Joao Pedro - the striker who just scored 15 goals in the Premier League for Chelsea - to give Neymar a chance has caused much controversy.
In the press conference after the list announcement ceremony, Ancelotti admitted that Joao Pedro deserved to be present at the World Cup. However, he affirmed that Neymar is more suitable for the tactical system he is building.
According to Ancelotti, Neymar is no longer considered a winger as before, but will play in the role of a deep forward or false number 9, behind or next to satellites like Raphinha and Vinicius Junior.
Matheus Cunha is likely still the priority choice for the highest position in the attack. Meanwhile, Neymar can pair with him if Brazil continues to use a 4-striker formation.
Besides Neymar, Brazil also brought many other notable attacking options to the World Cup. Igor Thiago was called up after a journey of striving to rise, while Endrick impressed during his loan spell at Lyon to win a place in the final squad.
Whether Neymar can regain his peak form or not, Brazil still has an attack strong enough to cause difficulties for any opponent. However, the rest of the squad still has many question marks.
One of the biggest problems lies in the midfield. If Ancelotti maintains an attack-oriented system, Brazil will only have two central midfielders left, in which Casemiro has turned 34 and is preparing to leave Manchester United at the end of the season.
In the harsh weather conditions at the 2026 World Cup, this may cause difficulties for Brazil's midfield in terms of fitness and match control. When winning the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Brazil succeeded thanks to a midfield full of fighting spirit and mobility.
Ancelotti may consider adding another midfielder like Danilo Santos or Lucas Paqueta to increase balance. In addition, not calling up Andrey Santos also surprised many people, especially in the context that Casemiro no longer maintains stable form.
The goalkeeper position is also another worry. Alisson is still the number one choice, but he constantly has physical problems. Ederson has not had a truly convincing season, and Bento has declined in form recently. Therefore, Ancelotti decided to call up veteran goalkeeper Weverton to add experience to the squad.
On both wings, Brazil no longer possesses explosive full-backs like Cafu or Roberto Carlos before. Instead, Ancelotti prioritizes players who tend to defend more, although calling up veterans like Danilo or Alex Sandro still causes no small controversy.
The center-back is considered Brazil's strongest position, with the duo Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes. However, the fact that the two are preparing to face each other in the Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal also makes Ancelotti worried about the risk of injury before the World Cup.
However, the Italian strategist appeared completely calm: "Anxiety is the feeling of children going to school without preparing their lessons. I'm not worried because I've prepared very carefully" - Ancelotti said.
