Neymar and Endrick Left Out of Brazil’s World Cup Qualifying Squad
Neymar Jr. recently returned from injury and played for Al Hilal in an AFC Champions League match. The plan was for him to make his return to the Brazil team in November's 2026 World Cup qualifying matches. However, Seleção coach Diniz Jr. did not have the chance to evaluate him in enough matches, so Neymar’s national team comeback has been postponed. There are other surprises in the squad as well.
Coach Diniz Jr. has announced Brazil's squad for the World Cup qualifying matches in November against Venezuela and Uruguay, with no place for Al Hilal star Neymar or young Real Madrid forward Endrick.
On October 21, Neymar returned to the field after a year-long absence, playing about 20 minutes for Al Hilal. Since then, he hasn’t had the chance to play more matches with his club, so Diniz decided not to take the risk of including him.
On Friday, November 1, Diniz stated, "We’ve decided not to rush his return. He has recovered fully, but he’s only played a few minutes, which makes including him too risky."
Neymar last played for the national team on October 17 last year in a World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay, where he suffered an ACL injury, keeping him off the field for over a year. Now, Neymar will have to wait until March 2025 to return, possibly in the qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina.
Endrick, on the other hand, has had limited playtime, with only 107 minutes for Real Madrid this season and no appearances in the last four matches, leading to his exclusion from the squad.
Vinicius Jr., who missed the October qualifiers due to a throat injury, has been called up for these two games. Seventeen-year-old rising star Estevão has also earned a spot in the 23-man squad; he currently tops the Brazilian Serie A goal tally alongside Flamengo’s Pedro Guilherme. Manchester City winger Savio has also received a call-up.
Brazil will face Venezuela on November 14 at 3:00 AM Bangladesh time, followed by Uruguay on November 20 at 6:45 AM Bangladesh time.
Brazil Squad: Bento, Ederson, Weverton; Danilo, Vanderson, Abner, Guilherme Arana, Éder Militão, Gabriel Magalhães, Marquinhos, Murillo; André, Andreas Pereira, Bruno Guimarães, Gerson, Lucas Paquetá, Raphinha; Estevão, Igor Jesus, Luiz Henrique, Rodrygo, Savinho, Vinicius Jr.
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