Neymar was brought to tears over his surprising call-up to Brazil's World Cup squad
It was clear the news meant the world to him.
On Monday, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed his 26-player roster for the 2026 World Cup in the U. S. , Canada and Mexico.
And there was one obvious surprise that stood out above the rest: Neymar Jr. made the World Cup squad . In fact, it was so surprising that even Neymar himself was overwhelmed with emotion upon hearing the news.
The 34-year-old Brazilian superstar had battled injuries for much of this season and only played eight matches for Santos after undergoing meniscus surgery. And with arguably the deepest talent pool in the world, Brazil had plenty of options that would have made more sense on paper in 2026 than Neymar (João Pedro or Antony, for example). Ancelotti, though, saw it differently.
And when Neymar heard his name announced in the live event from Rio de Janeiro, this was his reaction. 🥺🇧🇷 The moment when Neymar Jr got called up by Carlo Ancelotti… @neymarjr 🎥 pic. twitter.