Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly finalized 24 of his 26 spots for Brazil's World Cup squad, and Neymar Jr. is not among them. With 70 days until the tournament kicks off across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, that's not a placeholder decision — that's a door closing.
According to ESPN, the Italian coach has made his position clear throughout the qualification cycle: to earn a call-up, Neymar must be 100% fit. He wasn't selected for the friendlies against France and Croatia due to a muscle strain. And now, despite everything he's meant to this program over the past 15 years, the math just doesn't add up in his favor.
The fitness case against him is hard to argue
Neymar hasn't played for Brazil since October 17, 2023 — a qualifier against Uruguay where he suffered a knee injury. That's over 18 months without a Seleção appearance. Since returning to Santos in January 2025, he's managed just five club appearances. Five.
Ancelotti isn't being sentimental, and that's probably the right call. A World Cup squad isn't a tribute act. The three remaining spots in contention reportedly involve Lucas Paquetá, Endrick, and Igor Thiago competing for two places — all players either in or approaching their prime, all playing regularly.
The coach has been deliberate in building a squad around collective structure rather than a single figurehead, and that philosophy directly conflicts with what Neymar represents — or at least what he represented when fit. Brazil's odds as tournament contenders rest on that structural coherence holding up. A last-minute wildcard inclusion of a player with five competitive minutes under his belt this year would undermine exactly that.
The voices pushing back aren't wrong, either
Mourinho, Romario, Ronaldo Nazario, Cafú — figures who've won things at the highest level — have all expressed surprise at the exclusion. Even Rodrygo and Vinícius Jr. have publicly backed Neymar's inclusion. That's not a fringe opinion. That's Brazil's current attacking spine saying they want him there.
And yet. Sentiment doesn't recover from muscle strains or rebuild match sharpness. Ancelotti is gambling that a balanced, fit squad outperforms a squad built around a player who might not see 45 minutes before the group stage.
If this holds, Neymar's last appearance for Brazil will have been a qualifier against Uruguay — not a World Cup farewell, not a victory lap. Just a knee giving out on a Tuesday in Montevideo.
