No place for Casemiro or Fabinho in Ancelotti's new-look Brazil squad

Carlo Ancelotti has named a new-look Brazil squad for their upcoming friendlies against Australia and India, with some experienced players missing out on the 26-man squad. 

Following their exit in the last 16 of this summer's World Cup, the earliest Brazil had been eliminated from a World Cup since 1990, Ancelotti has made a string of changes. 

Of the players to take part in the World Cup, only Gabriel Magalhaes, Marquinhos, Bruno Guimaraes, Danilo Santos, Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Endrick, Rayan remain. 

The likes of Casemiro and Fabinho both missed out, while Neymar was also not included after announcing his international retirement in the wake of Brazil's World Cup exit. 

Neymar became only the second Brazil player to score in four different World Cups (2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026) after Pele with a penalty against Norway in a 2-1 defeat.

Ancelotti's selection is based on players who are also eligible for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, hoping he can use them as the spine of his squad in the 2030 World Cup.

"The World Cup was a disappointment for us and for me personally," Ancelotti said after naming his latest squad. "We weren't able to play the way we expected.

"Being eliminated by Norway was a huge letdown because the team had actually played well up until the 60th minute of that match.

"We struggled in the first half, but the team improved after that. The defeat to Norway came as a surprise in that sense, because no one expected it to happen.

"At a club, you have the chance to process things and move on relatively quickly because there's another competition coming up; with the national team, it's more complicated.

"The pain of the defeat lingers much longer. Now, we are motivated by the fact that we have time to prepare for a new cycle and get ready for the upcoming competitions."

Alisson Becker was another big name to miss out, with three new goalkeepers in the shape of Hugo Souza, Pedro Morisco and Otavio all brought into the Brazil squad. 

Athletico Paranaense defender Arthur Dias and PSV full-back Mauro Junior are among the new faces, while Joao Pedro is back in after his surprise omission for the World Cup. 

Chelsea's Joao Pedro became the fourth Brazilian to score in both of a side's first two Premier League games of a season, after Elano (Man City, 2008-09), Richarlison (Everton, 2018-19), and Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal, 2022-23).

He has started the campaign in fine form for the Blues, registering four goal involvements (two goals, two assists) in four appearances across all competitions. 

Brazil squad in full: 

Hugo Souza (Corinthians), Pedro Morisco (Coritiba), Otavio (Cruzeiro); Arthur Dias (Athletico Paranaense), Wesley (Roma), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal), Douglas Santos (Zenit St. Petersburg), Jair Cunha (Nottingham Forest), Matheuzinho (Corinthians), Maurio Junior (PSV), Vitor Reis (Manchester City); Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal), Andrey Santos (Manchester United), Danilo Santos (Botafogo), Douglas Luiz (Juventus), Breno Bidon (Corinthians), Gabriel Bontempo (Santos); Endrick (Real Madrid), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rayan (Bournemouth), Joao Pedro (Chelsea), Samuel Lino and Pedro (Flamengo).