Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has left open the possibility of Neymar earning a place in his 26‑man squad for this year’s World Cup, saying the forward has two months to prove he has the required qualities.
Ancelotti has consistently maintained that Neymar will be in contention if he is fully fit but the attacker was excluded from Brazil’s squad for last month’s warm‑up matches against France and Croatia.
Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, has not played for the national team since suffering a serious knee injury in October 2023 and has struggled to maintain a consistent run of matches since returning to Santos last year.
Brazil’s 2‑1 defeat to France in Boston prompted fans to chant Neymar’s name but Ancelotti dismissed the reaction at the time, saying attention should focus on the players selected.
Now, however, the Italian has suggested that the Santos forward remains part of his thinking as Brazil assess their options ahead of the World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19 in North America and Mexico.
