Brazil opens its 2026 World Cup against Morocco on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with Carlo Ancelotti in charge and Neymar back in the squad. The 34-year-old forward was called up by Ancelotti even though he has not played for Brazil in almost three years, giving the team’s tournament launch a familiar dose of intrigue.
The call-up matters because Brazil is chasing its first World Cup triumph in 24 years, and this Brazil roster carries the kind of senior weight the country has leaned on for decades. Paul Clement, Ancelotti’s assistant, said the side’s spine is built around Alisson, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes and Paqueta, while its attacking edge comes from Raphinha, Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Martinelli, Matheus Cunha and Neymar.
Clement described the dressing room as “very religious and very spiritual,” with prayer before and after matches, and said the senior players are treated with respect if they have played 80, 90 or even more than 100 times for Brazil. He also pointed to Danilo as the sort of leader who matters whether he is on the pitch or not, a sign that this squad is being built on hierarchy as much as flair.
That makes Neymar’s return more complicated than celebratory. Brazil’s record scorer is in the squad, but he is doing so while battling a calf injury, and that gives his comeback the same melodrama that has long followed his international career. Clement said Ancelotti is a strong fit for a big team with big personalities because he does not seek conflict; he tries to draw the best out of people instead.
For Brazil, the next test is immediate. Morocco is first, the World Cup is already here, and the question now is not whether Neymar can make the squad, but how much of him Brazil will actually have when the tournament begins to matter.
