Leaked list of the 'football giants' for the 2026 World Cup: one major team faces bad news, one star receives good news.
On 12 May 2026, Globo, a leading Brazilian media outlet, reported that Carlo Ancelotti, coach of the Brazil national team, is preparing to announce the final squad for the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada from 11 June to 19 July.
Sources revealed that Carlo Ancelotti has already submitted a preliminary list of 55 players for the 2026 World Cup to FIFA, evaluating the fitness and status of several key Brazilian national team players.
Neymar is expected to receive long-awaited good news as reports indicate that Carlo Ancelotti has included the 34-year-old striker on the list, signaling that the former Barcelona and PSG star, now back at Santos, is physically ready to support the Brazil national team again.
However, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) also delivered bad news to 19-year-old Chelsea rising winger Estevao Willian, who suffered a hamstring muscle injury and has been dropped from the 2026 World Cup squad.
Although Estevao opted for conservative treatment at Palmeiras' training center focusing on rehabilitation rather than surgery, the CBF medical team assessed that he will not recover in time for the knockout stages, ending his dream of participating in his first World Cup; he now awaits a return to Chelsea next season.
Other stars likely to be included in Brazil’s preliminary squad before the final 26-man cut include Alisson Becker (Liverpool), Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Marquinhos (PSG), Casemiro, Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton (Newcastle), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Raphinha (Barcelona), Endrick (Lyon), and Joao Pedro (Chelsea).
