Neymar has been left out of the Brazil national team squad for the final friendlies before the World Cup roster is finalized. The Santos No.10 will not feature in matches against France and Croatia, though Carlo Ancelotti has not ruled the forward out of the tournament.

Ancelotti explained when asked whether players omitted from this list still have a chance of making the tournament.

Brazil’s coaching staff is carefully monitoring Neymar’s fitness after his recent injury history. The priority is to have players capable of coping with the intensity of a World Cup campaign, which can require up to seven matches in just a few weeks.

The Santos forward has also seen limited minutes recently and was rested for the match against Mirassol, which Ancelotti attended in person. Without that opportunity to play, Neymar missed a chance to show he is back to full match fitness. According to the Italian coach, Neymar does not need to prove anything “technically” — only that he is fully fit physically.

READ MORE: How Ancelotti Redefined Brazil in 2025

Gabriel Sara, Igor Thiago and Rayan among new call-ups

While a high-profile name like Neymar was omitted, Ancelotti introduced several fresh faces — including potential debutants — in the 26-man squad announced on Monday. Among them are Gabriel Sara of Galatasaray, Bournemouth youngster Rayan and Brentford striker Igor Thiago.

Brazil were also forced to deal with several injury absences for this call-up. Éder Militão, Vanderson, Caio Henrique, Bruno Guimarães and Rodrygo are all unavailable. Rodrygo, unfortunately, is no longer expected to feature at the World Cup due to the severity of his injury.

READ MORE: Sara stars as Galatasaray beat Juventus 5-2

Brazil will face France on March 26 at Gillette Stadium in Boston. Five days later, they take on Croatia at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Brazil squad list:

Goalkeepers

Alisson — Liverpool
Bento — Al Nassr
Ederson — Fenerbahçe

Defenders

Alexsandro — Flamengo
Bremer — Juventus
Danilo — Flamengo
Douglas Santos — Zenit
Gabriel Magalhães — Arsenal
Ibañez — Al Ahli
Léo Pereira — Flamengo
Marquinhos — PSG
Wesley — Roma

Midfielders

Andrey Santos — Chelsea
Danilo — Botafogo
Casemiro — Manchester United
Fabinho — Al Ittihad
Gabriel Sara — Galatasaray

Forwards

Endrick — Lyon
Gabriel Martinelli — Arsenal
Igor Thiago — Brentford
Luiz Henrique — Zenit
Matheus Cunha — Manchester United
Raphinha — Barcelona
Rayan — Bournemouth
Vinícius Júnior — Real Madrid
João Pedro — Chelsea

Brazil’s schedule ahead of the World Cup

With just over three months until the World Cup begins, Brazil have already outlined their full schedule leading up to their opening match on June 13 against Morocco in New Jersey.

Before the tournament, Brazil will play four friendlies. In addition to France and Croatia in March, they will face Egypt and Panama. Those final two matches will take place after the official World Cup squad announcement.

The team is scheduled to travel to the United States on June 1, with preparations beginning at the Granja Comary training center in May.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has also confirmed the key squad announcement dates: the squad for the March friendlies was revealed on March 16, while the final 26-man World Cup squad will be announced on May 19.

Brazil are drawn in Group C. They will open their campaign against Morocco before facing Haiti and Scotland, with the final group-stage match scheduled to take place in Miami.