Neymar must prove his fitness for Brazil’s World Cup squad: Ancelotti | World Cup 2026 News

Brazil’s coach says Neymar could be eligible for the squad if he reaches full fitness in the next two months.

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has left open the possibility that Neymar Jr. a place in his 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cupand says the forward has two months to provide that he has the required qualities.

Ancelotti has consistently insisted that Neymar will be in contention if he is fully fit, but the forward was left out of Brazil’s squad for last month’s warm-up games 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 games since returning to Santos last year.

Brazil’s 2-1 defeat by France in Boston prompted fans to chant Neymar’s name, but Ancelotti dismissed the reaction at the time, saying the focus should be on the players selected.

However, the Italian suggested 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 the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“He is a great talent, and it is normal that people think he can help us win the next World Cup,” Ancelotti said in an interview with French newspaper L’Equipe.

“He is currently being evaluated by me by the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation), and he still has two months to show that he has the qualities to play in the next World Cup.

“After his knee injury, Neymar made a good comeback; he is scoring goals. He has to continue in this direction and improve his fitness. He is on the right track.”

Brazil are in Group C with Morocco, Haiti and Scotland in the World Cup and will begin their campaign on June 13 in New Jersey.