World Cup qualifiers: Dorival Júnior calls up squad; Neymar is in
The Brazilian national team’s first line-up of the year for the South American qualifiers ahead of the 2026 World Cup has brought some news. On coach Dorival Júnior’s 23-man list are striker Neymar (from Santos), right-back Wesley (Flamengo), and midfielder Joelinton (Newcastle).
With six games to go, Brazil are looking to consolidate their position in the next two matches. In fifth place in the table, the yellows will face Colombia (4th) at Brasília’s Mané Garrincha Stadium on March 20. Five days later, they will visit world-champions Argentina at the Monumental de Núñez, in Buenos Aires.
Called up by Dorival Júnior for the first time, Neymar has been away from the seleção since October 2023, when he suffered a serious injury to his left knee in a 2–0 defeat to Uruguay. Brazil’s all-time leading scorer underwent surgery and was out of action for a year to recover. Neymar returned to Santos early this year, after nearly two years with Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia), and has been making a name for himself on the field in São Paulo league matches.
During the press conference after the call-up, Dorival Júnior was cautious about Neymar’s presence on the field for the duration of the game.
“He’s already played 90 minutes in two matches for Santos. In some of those he was spared in the final moments. The matter should depend a lot on the sequence he’s going to have now, the way he’s going to perform here. We’ll see how he’s doing,” the coach said.
The team’s next matches, in the 13th and 14th rounds, will be decisive in securing a place at the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico. Only the six leading teams at the end of qualifying phase will be guaranteed a spot. The seventh-placed team will have to compete in a play-off.
The line-up
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Bento (Al-Nassr), and Ederson (Manchester City).
Defenders: Danilo (Flamengo), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Guilherme Arana (Atlético-MG), Léo Ortiz (Flamengo), Marquinhos (PSG), Murillo (Nottingham Forest), Vanderson (Monaco), and Wesley (Flamengo).
Midfielders: André (Wolverhampton), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Gerson (Flamengo), Joelinton (Newcastle), Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton), and Neymar (Santos).
Forwards: Estevão (Palmeiras), João Pedro (Brighton), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Savinho (Manchester City), and Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid).
