On March 12, the Brazilian media Estadão published a column op-ed discussing the Brazilian team's roster for the 2026 World Cup.
The column is as follows:
On March 16, local time, Ancelotti will announce the Brazilian team's roster for the friendly matches at the end of March. The team will play against France on March 26 and Croatia on March 31, with both matches taking place in the United States. This will be the last selection of players before the final 26-man World Cup roster is announced (expected to be released on May 19).
Ancelotti will conduct the final assessment in the friendly matches against France and Croatia in March.
Currently, there are 26 World Cup spots, of which 18 are basically secure. Among them, 13 players (see list below) will not miss this trip to the United States unless they are injured. The remaining 5 players already have "admission tickets" in hand. It is worth noting that Militão may even start this World Cup journey as a right-back.
With Rodrygo's injury withdrawal, Martinelli, who was already a popular choice, has basically secured a World Cup spot. Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison has been named to every roster since Ancelotti took office, which is enough to prove that he is a trusted choice of the coach.
Hugo Souza and Luis Henrique, among others, left a good impression on Ancelotti during previous training camps. The Italian coach has stated that he wants a penalty specialist in the team to deal with penalty shootouts in the knockout stage, and this Corinthians goalkeeper is a feasible candidate becoming this type of player.
At least 8 spots in each position are still up for grabs, and the coach will use the March friendly matches to assess the players. In the defense, Bremer from Juventus is expected to return. In midfield, the coach urgently needs a substitute for Guimarães, and Galatasaray's Gabriel Sara and Botafogo's Danilo will be assessed.
In the attack, Endrick, who once studied under Ancelotti at Real Madrid, is currently on loan at Lyon and has been getting stable starting time, and he is likely to be selected for the roster to face France and Croatia. Another rising star worth noting is Rayan, who came from the Vasco da Gama youth academy and has recently transferred to Bournemouth in England.
The technical team's plan is to bring 9 to 10 forwards to the squad. Although Neymar is on the initial roster for the friendly matches, he was rested in Santos' match against Mirassol on Tuesday, which reduces the likelihood of him being selected this time. Ancelotti was in São Paulo State watching the match.
Although this trip was regarded as an official visit by the Brazilian Football Confederation to the newly promoted Campeonato Brasileiro Série A team Mirassol, Ancelotti's core purpose in choosing to appear on Santos' match day was to assess Neymar.
Next Sunday (15th), Neymar is expected to play in the Santos vs. Corinthians derby, which the Brazilian technical team will watch live, but Ancelotti will be absent.
Basically locked in for the World Cup (unless injured)
Alisson (Liverpool), Militão (Real Madrid), Danilo (Flamengo), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Gabriel (Arsenal), Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Casemiro (Manchester United), Andrey Santos (Chelsea), Guimarães (Newcastle United), Estevão (Chelsea), Vinícius (Real Madrid), Cunha (Manchester United), Raphinha (Barcelona)
Nearly Locked
Wesley Franca (Roma), Paquetá (Flamengo), João Pedro (Chelsea), Martinelli (Arsenal), Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur)
Other Hot Candidates
Hugo Souza (Corinthians), Fabricio Bruno (Cruzeiro), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Luis Henrique (Inter)
Potential Promising Stars
Bremer (Juventus), Danilo (Botafogo), Gabriel Sara (Galatasaray), Endrick (Lyon), Rayan (Bournemouth), Igor Thiago (Brentford)