There are 60 days left until the start of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, but in Brazil, all eyes are on whether Neymar will be included in Carlo Ancelotti’s roster.
After the Santos FC star was left out of the recent March friendlies against France and Croatia-and with his absence from the Verdeamarela since October 2023-doubts about his participation have been growing. But the Italian coach’s son appears to have given Neymar hope.
Neymar at the World Cup?
Recently, Carletto has given fans and the 34-year-old forward himself hope by stating in an interview with the French newspaper L’Equipe that the former PSG player could be at the World Cup:
“Neymar is capable of getting back to 100%. I’ve said it repeatedly, and it’s very clear: I’ll call up the players who are fit. After his knee injury, Neymar has made a great recovery; he’s scoring goals. He needs to keep going in that direction and improve his physical condition. He’s on the right track,” Ancelotti said.
In addition, the 66-year-old coach said he isn’t bothered by questions about the Brazilian star and that Ney “is being evaluated by the CBF and by me, and he still has two months to prove he has the quality to play in the upcoming World Cup.”
Now, it has been Ancelotti’s own son, Davide, who has added another glimmer of hope for the forward: “It’s the coach’s decision; he has time to make it,” Davide said in an interview with the British broadcaster BBC (via Olé).
The final roster will be announced on May 18. He is the all-time leading scorer and has a chance. He has time to reach peak form and make the roster.
In this regard, the Santos star made a key decision for his athletic future and underwent regenerative knee surgery while the Seleção was playing friendlies in the United States.
With this move, Neymar sought to accelerate the healing of minor injuries, prevent any relapse, and strengthen the stability of the joint that has caused him multiple problems. Ney is the all-time leading scorer for the Brazilian national team with 79 goals in 128 matches, but he has not played since November 17, 2023.
In this edition, Brazil will be in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland. They will make their debut against Morocco on Saturday, June 13, at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. They will then face Haiti on Friday, June 19, at Philadelphia’s Soldier Field, and on Wednesday, June 24, they will take on Scotland at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
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