Neymar picked for Brazil’s World Cup squad despite doubts on fitness

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Neymar made Brazil’s World Cup squad on Monday, a selection many local analysts and former footballers deemed unlikely only days ago. The striker will appear at his fourth World Cup.

The 34-year-old Neymar is Brazil’s all-time top goal-scorer with 79 but has struggled to return to top fitness since he tore his left ACL in October 2023. He’s played eight matches for Santos this year with four goals and two assists.

“He has improved his fitness, he will be an important player in this World Cup,” Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said at a press conference in Rio de Janeiro.

The coach added he preferred experienced players for some spots in his squad, including Neymar.

“He can still improve his fitness until the first match of the World Cup,” Ancelotti said. “He has experience in this kind of competition, the love of our group, he can create a better environment in this group.”

Shortly before Ancelotti’s squad was announced, Neymar changed his Instagram bio in a revealing way; he had only Santos as a reference of where he is currently playing and added Brazil to it.

Brazil’s 26-man squad also features its main players in recent years, Vinicius Júnior and Raphinha.

Ancelotti who took over in May 2025 but had not summoned Neymar until Monday.

He extended his contract with the Brazilian Football Confederation last week to the 2030 World Cup but he has had a troubled spell in Brazil so far with many injured players out of his World Cup squad; strikers Rodrygo and Estevao are the ones he will miss the most in North America.

Brazil opens its World Cup campaign against Morocco in New Jersey on June 13, followed by Haiti and Scotland in Group C.