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Neymar is in the squad but won’t play. Joao Pedro isn’t in the squad at all. Welcome to Brazil’s 2026 World Cup selection, where the logic is as clear as mud.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti named his 26-man roster on May 19 for the tournament, and the two biggest talking points have nothing to do with who’s starting. They have everything to do with a player too injured to open and a striker too good to be ignored, yet ignored anyway.
Neymar’s calf, Ancelotti’s gamble
Here’s the timeline. Neymar suffered a grade 2 right calf strain during a match on May 17. Two days later, Ancelotti named him to the squad regardless. The Brazilian Football Confederation has since confirmed the forward will miss Brazil’s opening match against Morocco on June 13, with an expected absence of 2 to 3 weeks.
Ancelotti has made it clear he has no intention of replacing Neymar in the squad. The Confederation says the player is making “good progress,” which is the kind of phrase medical staffs use when they want to sound optimistic without committing to a date.
The forward tore his ACL in October 2023, and his performances since that catastrophic knee injury have been limited. Selecting him for a World Cup squad while he nurses yet another soft tissue problem raises the kind of questions that only get louder if Brazil stumbles early.
The Joao Pedro question
If Neymar’s inclusion despite injury is debatable, Joao Pedro’s exclusion despite form is baffling.
The Chelsea striker scored over 15 Premier League goals during the 2025/26 season. And yet, when Ancelotti read out his 26 names, Joao Pedro’s wasn’t among them. No injury. No disciplinary issue. Just a football decision.
Joao Pedro had reportedly expressed a desire to play alongside Neymar if selected. He’ll be watching the Morocco game from somewhere far less interesting than the pitch.
What this means for Brazil’s World Cup campaign
Brazil open against Morocco on June 13 without their most famous player. The 2 to 3 week timeline for Neymar’s return is worth scrutinizing carefully. If the opener is June 13, that window potentially stretches to early July. Group stage matches are typically spaced about four to five days apart. A best-case scenario has Neymar available for the second or third group match. A realistic scenario might push his return to the knockout rounds, assuming Brazil get that far.
An ACL tear in 2023 followed by a calf strain in 2026 is a pattern. Ancelotti is betting on Neymar’s body holding up under the most intense conditions in football.
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