Brazil national football team: full squad and key players at the 2026 World Cup

Brazil arrived at the 2026 World Cup with a new man in charge and the same old expectation. Carlo Ancelotti, the first foreign coach to lead the Seleção at a World Cup, named a 26-man squad built around Vinicius Junior, Raphinha and a returning Neymar, with a defensive spine drawn from Europe’s biggest clubs. The tournament ended sooner than anyone in yellow wanted, but the squad itself remains one of the deepest in world football. Here is the full list, the key players, and how Brazil’s campaign unfolded.

Who is in Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad?

Ancelotti confirmed his final 26 in May, staging the announcement at Rio de Janeiro’s Museum of Tomorrow. Neymar made the cut for what he later confirmed would be his last international tournament, while injuries ruled out Rodrygo, Estevao and Eder Militao. The squad blends Champions League regulars with a strong contingent from the Brazilian league, a sign of how much talent has stayed home or returned in recent seasons.

The full squad by position:

Goalkeepers

• Alisson (Liverpool)
• Ederson (Fenerbahce)
• Weverton (Gremio)

Defenders

• Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)
• Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal)
• Bremer (Juventus)
• Danilo (Flamengo)
• Alex Sandro (Flamengo)
• Leo Pereira (Flamengo)
• Douglas Santos (Zenit St Petersburg)
• Roger Ibanez (Al-Ahli)

Midfielders

• Casemiro (Manchester United)
• Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United)
• Ederson (Atalanta)
• Lucas Paqueta (Flamengo)
• Fabinho (Al-Ittihad)
• Danilo (Botafogo)

Forwards

• Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
• Raphinha (Barcelona)
• Neymar (Santos)
• Matheus Cunha (Manchester United)
• Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
• Endrick (Lyon)
• Luiz Henrique (Zenit St Petersburg)
• Igor Thiago (Brentford)
• Rayan (Bournemouth)

There are two players named Ederson and two named Danilo in the group, which caused plenty of confusion when the list dropped. Ederson the goalkeeper is the former Manchester City man now at Fenerbahce; Ederson the midfielder is the Atalanta ball-winner. Danilo the defender is the veteran right-back and former captain now at Flamengo, while Danilo the midfielder plays for Botafogo.

Who missed out on Brazil’s squad?

The bigger debate was over who Ancelotti left behind. Rodrygo, an attacking regular for years, was ruled out after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a March game for Real Madrid, and Estevao and Eder Militao also missed out through injury. The selection calls stung just as much. Richarlison’s omission was the snub that dominated the build-up, Gabriel Jesus paid for a season of barely any starts at Arsenal, and Joao Pedro did not make the cut either. The pattern was clear enough: Ancelotti backed youth in attack, handing places to Endrick and the young Rayan ahead of more familiar names.

Brazil’s key players

Vinicius Junior went into the World Cup as Brazil’s most important attacker. The Real Madrid winger carries the team’s biggest goal threat from the left, and he underlined it with a brace against Scotland that sealed top spot in the group. When Brazil are at their best, it usually starts with Vinicius running at a defender.

Raphinha has grown into a leader for both club and country. His form at Barcelona turned him into one of Europe’s most productive wide forwards, and for Brazil he offers goals, set-piece delivery and a work rate that Ancelotti leaned on heavily. Alongside Vinicius, he gives Brazil two match-winners on either flank.

Neymar’s inclusion was the story that hung over the squad for months. Fit again and back playing at Santos, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer was named for a fourth World Cup. His tournament ended with a consolation penalty against Norway, and shortly afterwards he announced his retirement from international football, closing the book on a Seleção career that never delivered the World Cup he chased.

Behind them, the spine is seasoned. Alisson remains one of the world’s best goalkeepers. Marquinhos captains the side from the back after years of leading PSG. Casemiro and Bruno Guimaraes give the midfield steel and passing range, and Gabriel Magalhaes brings Arsenal’s defensive solidity into the heart of the back line. Then there is Endrick, the teenager once billed as the next great Brazilian number nine and the clearest sign of where the attack goes next.

Who is Brazil’s head coach?

Carlo Ancelotti took the Brazil job after a long and decorated career in club football, becoming the first non-Brazilian to coach the national team at a World Cup. The appointment was a break from tradition for a country that had always trusted its own, and it reflected how badly Brazil wanted a proven winner after a run of underwhelming tournaments. Ancelotti’s calm, player-first style was meant to get the best out of a talented but unbalanced squad. He got them out of the group comfortably, but could not stop the campaign unravelling in the knockouts.

How did Brazil’s 2026 World Cup go?

Brazil topped Group C, though not without a scare. They were held to a 1-1 draw by Morocco in their opener, then found their rhythm with a 3-0 win over Haiti and a 3-0 dismissal of Scotland to finish first on goal difference. Vinicius Junior’s double against the Scots was the standout performance of the group stage.

In the round of 32 they saw off Japan 2-1 in Houston, setting up a last-16 tie with Norway. That is where it went wrong. Erling Haaland struck twice late, in the 79th and 90th minutes, and Neymar’s stoppage-time penalty was not enough. Norway won 2-1. It was Brazil’s first exit at the round-of-16 stage since 1990, and it took Norway to a World Cup quarter-final for the first time in their history. For the five-time champions, an exit that early ranks among the most disappointing in their history.

Brazil’s World Cup pedigree

No country carries more World Cup history than Brazil. Five titles, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, make them the most successful team in the tournament’s history, and they are the only side to have played at every edition. That record is exactly why a round-of-16 exit stings so much. The talent in this squad, from Vinicius and Raphinha to the next generation in Endrick, means the rebuild will not start from scratch. The challenge for whoever picks up the reins is turning that depth into the deep tournament run it has promised for a decade.

For more national-team breakdowns, see our guides to the Argentina squad, the Portugal squad and the India national team.

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