Today's press conference was with Bruno Guimarães and Ancelotti: It's already close to 10pm in Japan but no article about today's training yet. I guess they're waiting to publish during the day in Brazil.
Bremer is going to have surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee (same one which tore the ACL): https://www.juventus.com/en/news/articles/medical-update-gleison-bremer It's not an ACL tear, which is the good news. The bad news is he'll be out for over a month, so he won't be available for November friendlies.
The big takeaway from the press conferences for all the pundit shows today, was that Ancelotti wants the March list to basically be the players who he expects will be in the World Cup. Injuries will obviously impact that, but it doesn't bode well for players who missed these recent call-ups, like Vanderson, or won't be available for the November call-up, like Bremer. https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...camente-fechado-para-a-copa-ja-em-marco.ghtml
Most outlets reported that training started with the same line-up as against Korea (except goalkeeper) and that Ancelotti changed a lot later on in training (when it was closed). Well, then some reported minor changes, like possibly Carlos Augusto at left-back and Paquetá in Bruno Guimarães' spot. However, Globo Esporte has now indicated that their will be 8 changes total and this is the line-up: Hugo Souza; Paulo Henrique, Fabrício Bruno, Lucas Beraldo; Carlos Augusto; Casemiro, Bruno Guimarães; Lucas Paquetá; Luiz Henrique, Vini Júnior; Gabriel Martinelli. Only Casemiro, Bruno Guimarães and Vini to start both matches.
A couple of logistical notes: If Senegal confirms their World Cup spot today, expect CBF to announce the November friendlies. If they don't, I am not sure who the backup option is, but I suppose we should expect an announcement anyways, but with Tunisia and another team. Those games will be during the November 10 international break. Probably Friday, November 14 and Tuesday, November 18 in London and Paris. Convocação, if it's on the Wednesday before the break, will be on November 5
Pedro Ivo Almeida reported on a lot of news that's officially to be confirmed, but he's ESPN's insider at CBF so it's pretty reliable. Included in the video below: CBF wants Ancelotti until 2030 and will try to renew before the 2026 World Cup The November matches: Senegal in London first, then Tunisia in Lille (was Paris, but changed) The March matches: France in Boston, Croatia in Florida (probably Orlando, but not set, could be elsewhere). Leading to the World Cup, the coaching staff and players want to go straight to the USA to begin training. The administrative types want them to train at Granja Comary for a few days first. I hope the players and staff win out. Also today, Cahê Mota (Globo's insider), talked about the November list. Reportedly, they want to make it predominantly composed of Brasileirão players. I hope he misheard or misspoke and maybe they just mean most of the open spots, or tests. Of course, if the core of 15 or 16 are available, that would mean just among the 10 others, so maybe 6 players from the Brasileirão. https://ge.globo.com/video/cahe-mot...roximas-convocacoes-da-selecao-14010169.ghtml
Who knows what will happen during the 2026 World Cup?.... but I do believe Ancelotti will get Brazil at least to the quarterfinals, which is equivalent to the semifinals of the old format (" Dezesseis-avos de final"). We are all tired of regretting how CBF wasted the bulk of the period between Qatar and next year in hiring quality managers to rebuild the team. But Ancelotti, while not perfect, is arguably the best manager in UEFA and we have him. If he is given a full four-year period, and with Brazil's young players like Endrick and Rodrygo and Estêvão - and considering the fact that CONMEBOL WCQ will have 7 teams only given Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina are hosts (one match each - I personally find this ludicrous and would rather Portugal and Spain only co-host it), a berth in 2030 is not only all but guaranteed, but Brazil will arrive in 2030 much more prepared than it will next year. I say get the man a contract until the end of the 2030 World Cup.
Here's the info from the video above in written form: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...alia-amistoso-no-maracana-antes-da-copa.ghtml A little more detail: If Brazil gets drawn into group F (or earlier in the alphabet), the plan is to play a friendly in the US. If they get group G or later, they may try to have a friendly in Rio before going to the US. In either case, CBF wants to begin the training period at Granja Comary, a week before the Champions League final (May 30). So available players would start training on May 23 if that plan holds. The Premier League, la Liga, and serie A end May 24, Ligue 1 ends May 16. The Brasileirão starts its break in late May according to the new calendar, but I'm not sure what day exactly. The World Cup begins June 11, Group F's first match is June 14, Group G would be June 15.
CBF has made the November friendlies official: Brazil x Senegal, Saturday, November 15 in London (12pm US Eastern time). Brazil x Tunisia, Tuesday, November 18 in Lille (3:30pm US Eastern time). https://www.cbf.com.br/selecao-bras...a-2025-com-amistosos-contra-senegal-e-tunisia EDIT: Fixed the date of the first match.
Believe it or not we're only 3 weeks away from the international break, which means the preliminary list was due to FIFA today. One thing I wanted to do was see how all the injured players are doing, because hopefully most of them will be available for November. So here's the summary: Alisson - is expected to be out next week too, unclear if he'll be back after that or need more time. Vanderson - out with a hamstring injury. Unlikely to recover in time. Wesley - started for Roma on Saturday (apparently played on the left). Alex - did not play but was "doubtful" so may be returning soon. Marquinhos - did not play but was "doubtful" so may be returning soon. Andrey - started for Chelsea on Saturday. João Pedro - was just rested, he started for Chelsea this Saturday. Other recent injury concerns: Lucas Perri - has been listed as doubtful for a while, not clear if he'll take the starting position back right away when available. Bremer - surgery was a success, but no recovery timeline given. Likely to be out until at least late November. Gérson - played 3 minutes as a sub today. Zenit have a Cup game this week and a league game next weekend. I guess we'll find out if Hugo Souza, Beraldo, Fabricio Bruno and Carlos Augusto had their chance and missed it, or if they are part of the plan and won't be thrown out so readily. If Gérson is available we may also find out if he is still in the plans. And I guess we'll also find out if they really are going to bring in more players from the Brasileirão for November. I'd be surprised to see any central defender if the 4 best ones are available, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a center-forward, midfielder or lateral we haven't seen yet with Ancelotti.
I think if we were forced to call up the World Cup squad tomorrow, it would look like this: Alisson, Bento, Hugo Souza; Vanderson, Wesley; Alex, Gabriel, Militão, Marquinhos; Douglas Santos, Alex Sandro; Andreas, Andrey, Bruno Guimarães, Casemiro, Gérson, Paquetá; Estêvão, João Pedro, Luiz Henrique, Martinelli, Matheus Cunha, Raphinha, Richarlison, Rodrygo, Vini Jr. I think Alex Sandro and Hugo Souza absolutely need to be replaced. I worry that Hugo Souza won't. I think Alex Sandro has already kind of lost his spot, but we just haven't found the second left-back yet. I also think Richarlison and Bento should be replaced. I think it's possible Richarlison will be dropped just to test someone, but I don't expect two keepers to change, even if Bento isn't getting playing time (he wasn't even on the roster for his club's match yesterday). I highlighted Vanderson because I think he is the first-choice right-back, but if he's out for 3 convocações in a row, that hurts him quite a bit. I hope he is available and gets to play in November. A lot of people think Militão will be used as a right-back against tough opposition, but there's no real sign of that. I think it's just an emergency option. In midfield, I do think we need another defensive option, so I hope we see Ederson or someone else. Up front, I really don't feel we need to change much. Testing Pedro or Vitor Roque or another center-forward would be useful. I hope that the final roster has only 8 forwards (I'd drop Richarlison from this list) and maybe one more defender (because there's a lot of quality) or one more mid because we need it. Let's see if any interesting names show up in 2 weeks.
The convocação will be on Monday, November 3 at 3pm (1pm US Eastern daylight savings time): https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...ima-convocacao-do-ano-dia-3-de-novembro.ghtml That's just under two weeks away. As a reminder, the preliminary list was due already. So far no leaks though.
Somehow I forgot Raphinha in the list of injured players above. He's not available today for Barça's CL match, but listed as just "doubtful" so should be back soon, possibly for the clásico this weekend, so they don't want to risk him before that. That means he would be available for the call-up.
Some potential good news from Champions League matches this week. Vanderson is now listed as "doubtful" so he should be available soon. As long as they don't push it, hopefully the return will go smoothly, but with a hamstring injury it's tough to judge when is too soon. Igor Paixão has been doing solidly for Marseille and scored a nice goal today. He had a great game against Ajax in their previous CL match, but Ajax are rather poor right now. I wonder if he's on the radar, he is rated quite well on stats sites, compared to his competition. Not much space on the wings, but I wouldn't be surprised to see someone like Savinho or Antony get a look in November, and I wonder if Igor Paixão is on that list of possibilities. Savinho also had a nice assist yesterday. His season started with him usually on the bench, but he has started more and seen more minutes recently and we know he's on the radar. I imagine he would be fighting for Luiz Henrique's backup right-winger spot if he gets a chance.
Been keeping an eye on players, as I usually do. Bento did start this week, in a Cup match, but was not even on the bench for the league match. Alex still hasn't played again for Lille, I'm hoping he'll be available this week. (Remember the call-up is this November). (Looking him up this week there's still no news on whether he's ready, but there are now rumors a PL team will try to buy him in January.) Andreas is almost certainly in the plans anyways, and coming back to Brazil is a good move, but after Palmeiras' recent streak and today, you have to imagine he's a lock for now. Similarly, especially with Pedro out and Richarlison poor (I hope he is finally dropped) and with all the talk about how players need to be playing and preferably playing well, Vitor Roque has a really good shot at getting a look as one of the forward options, alongside Matheus Cunha probably who is also in good form, and I expect to see return because he has put in good performances for Brazil. (I would drop João Pedro for now, to me it needs to be Matheus Cunha OR João Pedro, unless they're both on fire, it should not be both).
Alisson is still not back, though that was expected. Vanderson, though being listed as doubtful recently, has been listed as injured in the matches since then and also still not back. Caio Henrique started today, but hasn't played much lately and I'm not convinced that he's made a good impression on the coaching staff. I am still hopeful we'll see someone like Kaiki called in for the left-back position. Luciano Juba is on the preliminary list, but he's a more offensive option. https://ge.globo.com/ba/futebol/tim...sta-de-convocados-da-selecao-brasileira.ghtml Jean Lucas is also on the preliminary list, and Ancelotti did say he wanted to bring back players who had only gotten to play against Bolivia, so I could see him making the team, but with Éderson and Gérson back to regular minutes, I expect to see those two names on the list. Up front, reportedly Ancelotti is going to observe Rayan in person tomorrow. With Martinelli out injured today, that might be one spot open up front. I also think Richarlison and Luiz Henrique should be dropped if they want spots to test someone. Endrick got his first 10 minutes under Xabi Alonso today, but he's not likely to take one of those spots. Here's what I hope to see: Something hopeful at goalkeeper, whether Perri getting another look, now that he's back, Léo Jardim or some other surprise. Another call-up with 3 left-backs, and hopefully someone to put in a reliable performance to at least be Douglas Santos' back-up. If Vanderson's not available (I don't think he will be) maybe a new test at right-back to compete with Paulo Henrique or Vitinho for that back-up spot. Another defensive option in midfield and 7 names in midfield (as I always ask for) Richarlison dropped and a couple of new names up front to fight for those last spots. Also, I didn't account for daylight savings time, so I corrected the time of the convocação in posts above. It's still at 3pm in Brazil, but that should mean 1pm US Eastern time once we're off DST. EDIT: Considering that supposedly the staff want to call up more players from Brazil this time around, I thought I'd list some other options: Matheus Pereira I could see getting a chance in midfield, but I see few other options in Brazil getting that shot. I could see a left-back with experience, like Alex Telles getting that shot instead of Kaiki, if they do bring another in. And at forward Rayan, Vitor Roque, Kaio Jorge are probably all on the pre-list and I wouldn't be surprised to see him pick one in form forward in Brazil, looking forward to the possibility of bringing them in next year if they remain strong and fit in the group.
Raphinha still out and probably through mid-November, so that's another spot up front available. I could see Antony getting a call-up. I don't think he adds much, I'd take Savinho or Luiz Henrique over him on the right, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him called up. I do think it would be better to bring someone else. Two players playing in Brazil who have gotten mention recently are Coutinho and Arthur. I think these are good cases of fans hyping players they see every week, while they underrate players they don't see. I would be stunned to see either one make it, though who knows, they could be on a pre-list, after all, Oscar and Lucas were too, recently.
Looks like Douglas Santos is injured, so left-back is a huge question mark. Could see Alex Sandro back for the experience. Carlos Augusto and Caio Henrique will likely be in if they're still in consideration, despite not really impressing lately. Kaiki and Luciano Juba would be new tests, so I would expect them to go as the third option if one of them goes. And then who else could be in consideration? That's already 5 names above (not including the injured one) and it's unlikely there are more than 5 on the pre-list. Lots of question marks for today, between Brasileirão options and injuries, could look quite different.
The list: Bento, Éderson, Hugo Souza Paulo Henrique, Wesley Danilo, Éder Militão, Fabricio Bruno, Gabriel, Marquinhos Alex Sandro, Caio Henrique, Luciano Juba Andrey, Bruno Guimarães, Casemiro, Fabinho, Lucas Paquetá Estêvão, João Pedro, Luiz Henrique, Matheus Cunha, Richarlison, Rodrygo, Vini Jr., Vitor Roque Biggest news is obviously Fabinho. Probably owes his call-up to Casemiro saying that he is the player most like him for back-up. Luciano Juba also a surprise, one people were hoping for. Danilo as well a surprise, probably a safety valve for right-back/central defense, since there are 2 right-backs and 4 central defenders. Five midfielders obviously bothers me, but what can you do. It's probably a sign that Gérson and Matheus Pereira have close to 0 chance of being there. Surprised Andreas is out, especially with 5 mids and an extra defender, could have dropped the extra defender for Andreas or another mid.
Yep. Fabinho and Danilo a bit surprising. Fabinho I thought was older. He is still 32. Definitely Casemiro's influence on that one. I think Pedro would have been called up had it not been for his injury. I saw that Carlo mentioned his name in the press conf.
Fabinho's a whole year and a half younger than Casemiro, who will be 34 at the World Cup. I think most people who watched the press conference have concluded Pedro probably would have been called in had he not been injured. I'm stunned by how many pundits saw Ederson called up again, and think it means he's ahead of Hugo Souza and Bento who were called up every time. The first two call-ups were Alisson, Bento, Hugo Souza, and Ederson only got called in last time because Alisson got injured.
Hugo Souza was injured last weekend and didn't face Bragantino. He's confirmed out this weekend and out of the seleção friendlies. John has been called in to replace him: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...t-e-convocado-para-a-selecao-brasileira.ghtml
I think everyone else, besides Hugo Souza, got through the week before tomorrow's apresentação. Of course, we still had several missing before the call-up so overall it's still a good number missing, overall, including starters like Allison, Vanderson and Douglas Santos. EDIT: And as I expected, the staff is already there, and some players are early. Bento and Richarlison have already arrived (to be fair, Richarlison lives in London, so...) Players who are in Brazil are only expected to arrive in time for Tuesday's training: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...para-amistosos-contra-senegal-e-tunisia.ghtml
First day of training: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/seleca...glaterra-e-utiliza-estrutura-do-arsenal.ghtml