Who could be the surprise name in Brazil's squad 🤔

It's almost time to find out who the 26 Brazil players will be as they chase a sixth World Cup title at the 2026 World Cup!

Brazil's final squad will be announced by Carlo Ancelotti next Monday (18), and we could see a few surprises!

With recent injuries and inconsistent performances from some players, the final list could be surprising.

Battle for the 3rd goalkeeper spot

Al-Nassr goalkeeper Bento, who has never been a unanimous favorite among the fans, has seen a recent dip in form, putting his place at risk, including a blunder in the latest round of the Saudi league that delayed Cristiano Ronaldo's club's title celebrations.

The third goalkeeper spot, then, could bring a surprise, with Corinthians' Hugo Souza and Nottingham Forest's John in the running.

National team goalkeeping coach and four-time world champion Taffarel, however, chose to play it down when asked whether the incident could weigh on the choice of players called up for this year's World Cup.

"If a (mistake) weighed that heavily, I don't think I ever would have gone to a World Cup. He's been having a good season there, consistently, and we're following him," he said in an interview with ESPN.

Defense in focus

Éder Militão's injury forced the coaching staff to look for alternatives in defense.

Although he was not called up by Carletto, Thiago Silva, recently crowned Portuguese League champion with FC Porto, has emerged as a possibility because of his experience and high-level play.

Another name that could appear is Alexsandro Ribeiro. The center-back was called up by Ancelotti before and is highly rated by the coaching staff.

Full-backs fail to excite fans

At right-back, Flamengo's Danilo and Roma's Wesley are ahead, but the battle for the left side is still wide open.

Zenit's Douglas Santos and Alex Sandro have featured in several call-ups, but Flamengo's left-back is going through a poor spell.

That opens the door for Luciano Juba, who has been flying at Bahia this season, to come from the outside and earn a place on Carletto's list.

Bahêa's top scorer in BR 26, the full-back already has 8 goals and one assist in 21 matches this season.

Question marks in midfield

Called up late in the World Cup cycle, Danilo has gained a lot of ground with the coaching staff and could hardly be considered a "surprise" if he makes the final list.

But Lucas Paquetá, who has had a very turbulent World Cup cycle, is an outside contender for one of the 26 spots.

Although he has posted modest numbers in the 25/26 season, Paquetá has a versatile profile that the coaching staff likes a lot.

The national team coach will in fact be in attendance for Athletico vs Flamengo this Sunday (17) in the Brasileirão.

Gerson, of Cruzeiro, has improved significantly under Artur Jorge and is also being closely monitored.

Competition in attack

Up front, the uncertainty is between Pedro and João Pedro.

The Chelsea striker has been present for almost the entire preparation cycle under Ancelotti.

However, Pedro has been putting up good numbers for Flamengo and is directly competing for the spot.

Out wide, the coach will have to deal with Estêvão's absence.

The player suffered an injury and will not be physically fit to play in the World Cup.

Rayan is seen as the favorite to replace him, helped by the fact that he has already been called up earlier in the cycle.

Neymar's situation

Having not played for Brazil since 2023, Neymar's presence is still a question mark.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Carlo Ancelotti dismissed any pressure to call up the player, but did not rule out including Neymar on the list.

"Obviously, for me, it's not such a simple decision. I have to carefully weigh the pros and cons. But that doesn't put me under pressure because, as I said, for a year we've been evaluating not only Neymar, but all the players," said Carletto.

Brazil national team preliminary squad