Ancelotti’s last call-up before the World Cup for the Brazil national team came a few days ago and, once again, Neymar was not included. Neymar’s last match for Brazil was on October 17, 2023, and there was a belief that leaving Al Hilal to join Santos would be the best path for him to focus on his physical condition and arrive ready for June 2026, but the months are passing and the improvement has been minimal.
The fact is, if it were any other player, this controversy and pressure on Ancelotti wouldn’t exist. Neymar isn’t consistent, he misses games due to lacking the physical condition to play regularly and, even when he does play, he’s not always good. That clear brilliance where he’s obviously the best player on the pitch no longer exists, and that’s directly tied to his physical condition.
Santos is a very weak team in the Brasileirão and, once again, is fighting to avoid relegation. Neymar can’t drop deep to dictate play because he no longer has the physical capacity or speed to carry the ball forward and sustain runs like he used to, for example, at PSG. That version of him doesn’t exist anymore. The problem is that, closer to goal where he plays best, he has to rely on low-level teammates to get him the ball. Does it arrive with quality? Rarely. But that also can’t be used as a full excuse for his poor performances.
Should Neymar play in the 2026 World Cup? In my opinion, no. Right now, he is a liability, let’s be realistic. He can be a dressing room leader, ok, but on the pitch he doesn’t have the capacity to contribute, not even from the bench. If he can’t perform well against, for example, Corinthians, how is he going to perform against a Morocco? For me, there isn’t even a debate.
But now, will Neymar be called up? I don’t doubt it, because the pressure is huge. At the same time, I’m not completely sure, because Ancelotti isn’t Brazilian and doesn’t have that same direct pressure that existed during the time of Dorival Jr, who came with that narrative of “Neymar is the most important piece of the national team” and things like that. If Ancelotti’s performance is poor, he can leave calmly and move on with his life, because he has nothing left to prove. Brazil needs Ancelotti more than Ancelotti needs Brazil.
Conclusion
Neymar, in my opinion, doesn’t have the physical capacity to go to the 2026 World Cup, but there is still doubt because of the pressure from Brazilians. One or two weeks ago, for example, he didn’t even play against Mirassol after having 12 days of rest, because he couldn’t. Ancelotti went there to watch the game, went there to see him, and he ended up not playing.
There is no scenario where Neymar goes to the 2026 World Cup and is actually able to provide something positive to the national team.