Will Neymar play in 2026 World Cup? Carlo Ancelotti offers insight
Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti shares his thought process leading up to the 2026 World Cup roster reveal on if Neymar will play for the Seleção.
The world is holding its breath as rosters for the 2026 World Cup will be released in the next few weeks. Among the many question marks fans are anticipating answers to is if Neymar will play for Brazil. The 34-year-old pop culture and soccer icon has been battling injuries and had a slow start in his return to Santos.
Carlo Ancelotti, Brazil's well-respected Italian manager, spoke with Reuters in an interview published Tuesday, May 12, about his process creating the roster for the Seleção. "When you have to choose, you have to consider many things," Ancelotti said. "Neymar is an important player for this country because of the talent he has always shown.
But he has had problems and is working hard to recover. He has improved a lot recently and is playing regularly. It is, obviously, not such an easy decision for me.
We have to weigh up the pros and cons carefully. " Neymar has appeared in three World Cups, in which he's scored eight goals and been injured twice. In 2014, he was stretchered off the pitch when he broke a vertebrae in his back in the quarterfinals against Colombia.