{"id":1448620,"date":"2026-05-12T19:53:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T18:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1448620"},"modified":"2026-05-13T10:05:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T09:05:49","slug":"brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202\/","title":{"rendered":"Brazil analysis: 10 &#8216;outsiders&#8217; from the preliminary squad that could shine at the World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Big-name players have been missing in recent Brazil call-ups but will be hoping to be on the plane to the World Cup.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carlo Ancelotti will have big decisions to make when he announces the 26-man squad next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Injuries have already made things harder for the Italian. The likes of Eder Militao, Rodrygo and Estevao have all been ruled out of the tournament. Even at a young age, the Chelsea winger had been one of Brazil&#8217;s best players since Ancelotti took over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Usual starters like Alisson and Raphinha have also spent time on the sidelines recently. Still, both look set to recover in time &#8211; though maybe a little out of rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elsewhere, a lot of players from the 55-man preliminary squad are fighting to make the cut. And there are a few big-name, high-profile ones in the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><strong>Bet \u00a310 &amp; Get \u00a330 in Free Bets with Bet365<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n<p>Not signed up to bet365 yet? 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Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&amp;Cs apply.<\/em><\/p>\r\n<hr \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-neymar-santos\">Neymar (Santos)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It seems unfathomable that an active Neymar isn&#8217;t a guaranteed starter in the Brazil national team. Let alone being in danger of missing out entirely on a World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the Santos star has struggled mightily to be available since leaving Paris Saint-Germain for Saudi football. He has made just 41 appearances since returning to Brazil last year and hasn&#8217;t been the same for years now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Granted, Neymar did come up clutch to help his team avoid relegation, but has made most of his contributions against lesser opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And yet, nobody else seems to have it in them to carry the load of representing Brazil in a major tournament. Not only have the likes of Vinicius Junior and Raphinha failed to replicate their club form with the green-and-yellow shirt, but they also seem to &#8216;defer&#8217; to Neymar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 34-year-old hasn&#8217;t played in the international stage in nearly three years. He featured in just four of Brazil&#8217;s 18 games in the qualifiers and still ranked second for goal involvements (five, behind Raphinha&#8217;s seven).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether or not he will make it to the World Cup is a huge topic in Brazilian media and everyone will be waiting anxiously to hear Ancelotti&#8217;s final decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-thiago-silva-porto\">Thiago Silva (Porto)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In theory, Brazil look safe at the back with a strong pairing of Marquinhos and Gabriel. But they are further examples of players who haven&#8217;t played at club level in the international stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thiago Silva last played for the <em>Selecao<\/em> in the 2022 World Cup, captaining his country to a quarter final exit against Croatia. But he was one of their most consistent performers and has shown little signs of decline since then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He returned to Fluminense in 2024 and anchored what was a great defence during his time. Things have fallen apart for them defensively since his departure earlier this year. He then rejoined Porto and helped them secure the league title &#8212; though not as a full-time starter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The &#8216;Monster&#8217; still has plenty to offer at a high level and looks like a safer bet than most of the defenders playing in the Brazilian league.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bremer-juventus\">Bremer (Juventus)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>After Marquinhos, Gabriel and Silva, Brazil&#8217;s next best centre-back might be Bremer. The Juventus defender has dealt with his fair share of injuries, which have hampered his progress for the national team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even healthy, he had few opportunities to showcase his talent. Bremer has picked up just six caps for Brazil despite consistently being one of the best defenders in Italian football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ancelotti noticed his efforts and included him in the last international break. The 29-year-old even scored against France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of talent, Bremer should undoubtedly be on the plane &#8212; like he was in 2022. But other defenders like Alexsandro, Roger Ibanez, Leo Pereira, Fabricio Bruno and Leo Ortiz are also in the mix and threaten Bremer&#8217;s chances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-antony-real-betis\">Antony (Real Betis)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Antony hasn&#8217;t played for Brazil in over three years. He did feature in a callup in June 2025, but stayed on the bench in the qualifiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The former Manchester United winger looks like a player reborn after joining Real Betis. It&#8217;s 23 goals and 15 assists in 69 games for the Spanish side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He has certainly done enough to deserve a second chance after having an important role as a substitute in 2022 under manager Tite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Athough it is unlikely that he makes a return for the upcoming World Cup, injuries to Estevao and Rodrygo may increase his chances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-rayan-bournemouth\">Rayan (Bournemouth)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The same applies to Rayan, who has been shining at Bournemouth since joining from Vasco in the January transfer window. His versatility also comes in handy, being able to play in either wing and also as a centre-forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At 19 years of age, Rayan may miss out if Ancelotti feels he is too young or inexperienced. But the Italian did acknowledge the youngster&#8217;s form by including him in the Brazil squad last international break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, there is a lot of competition for few spots in his position.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr \/>\r\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/go\/sky-bet?q=gb-all-soa-bs4-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sky Bet Offer<\/a>: Get \u00a340 in free bets when you place any bet<\/h2>\r\n<p>Looking for some free bets to boost your betting fund? Sky Bet are offering customers the chance to get \u00a340 in free bets when they sign up and place any qualifying bet.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/en\/go\/sky-bet?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1422496\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-1024x290.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-1024x290.png 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-300x85.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-768x218.png 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-1536x435.png 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-400x113.png 400w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-600x170.png 600w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-212x60.png 212w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-150x43.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143-40x11.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2023\/11\/06113653\/image-143.png 2036w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li><a href=\"\/en\/go\/sky-bet?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Sign up at Sky Bet<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0using this link<\/li>\r\n<li>Place a qualifying bet of at least 5p on a single or each way bet at odds of 1\/1 or greater, as your first bet<\/li>\r\n<li>Claim your \u00a340 free bet bonus<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<h5 class=\"bookmaker-row exclusive\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-filter=\"  all-bookmakers free-bets in-play new-bookmaker world-cup-offers\">18+ NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE &amp; E\/W BET ONLY ODDS OF 1\/1 OR GREATER. 4 X \u00a310 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. FREE BETS EXPIRE AFTER 30 DAYS. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&amp;CS APPLY.<\/h5>\r\n<hr \/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-danilo-botafogo\">Danilo (Botafogo)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The former Nottingham Forest midfielder has rediscovered himself as a goalscoring threat since returning to Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Danilo has already scored more goals in 23 games this season (10) than in any other he&#8217;s played in his career. He even made his international debut as a second-half substitute against France and scored against Croatia the following match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His great club form, being able to carry it over to the international stage and previous European experiences may give him an edge over fellow centre-midfielders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ederson-atalanta\">Ederson (Atalanta)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>One of them is Ederson, who has been one of Atalanta&#8217;s best performers since joining in 2022. He adapted well to Italian football after leaving Brazil as an inconsistent midfielder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But none of that seems to have mattered so much to any manager who has been in charge of Brazil in this span. He received his first call-up in 2024 but has only represented his country three times. The last one in the famous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/how-argentina-destroyed-brazil-tactical-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4-1 defeat to Argentina<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-gabriel-sara-galatasaray\">Gabriel Sara (Galatasaray)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another option is a well-known player in England, despite having never played in the Premier League. Gabriel Sara lit the Championship on fire while at Norwich City and is now at Galatasaray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Great performances int he Champions League, most notably against Juventus, placed him on Ancelotti&#8217;s radar. Sara made his Brazil debut last international break and will hope to make the World Cup squad among many other competent midfielders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-igor-jesus-nottingham-forest\">Igor Jesus (Nottingham Forest)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Igor Jesus played a big role in Nottingham Forest&#8217;s deep Europa League run that ultimately ended in a heavy defeat to Aston Villa in the semi finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He is well-suited to the physical nature of European football and even had success against PSG for Botafogo in the Club World Cup last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Carlo Ancelotti has preferred to lay with more mobile forwards up front, such as Matheus Cunha and Joao Pedro. But having a true number nine is always a helpful resource to have. Though Jesus is not the only Igor making noise in the Premier League this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-igor-thiago-brentford\">Igor Thiago (Brentford)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Igor Thiago has been one of the great stories in English football. Only Erling Haaland (26) has scored more goals in the Premier League than the Brentford striker (22).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though many people question his on-ball skills, Igor Thiago has great aerial presence and penalty-taking abilities &#8211; which would have been useful in the 2022 World Cup quarter final loss to Croatia. Ironically, he scored a penalty against them in a friendly last international break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While both Igors look to be ahead in the quest to being an alternate option for the striker position in North America, Flamengo&#8217;s Pedro and Cruzeiro&#8217;s Kaio Jorge, who both have scored plenty of goals since the start of 2025, are also in the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Big-name players have been missing in recent Brazil call-ups but will be hoping to be on the plane to the World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti will have big decisions to make when he announces the 26-man squad next week. Injuries have already made things harder for the Italian. The likes of Eder Militao, Rodrygo and Estevao&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3354,"featured_media":1448639,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Big-name players have been missing in recent Brazil call-ups but will be hoping to be on the plane to the World Cup. Here are a few of them.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1448620","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Brazil analysis: 10 &#039;outsiders&#039; from the preliminary squad that could shine at the World Cup | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Big-name players have been missing in recent Brazil call-ups but will be hoping to be on the plane to the World Cup. Here are a few of them.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Brazil analysis: 10 &#039;outsiders&#039; from the preliminary squad that could shine at the World Cup\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Big-name players have been missing in recent Brazil call-ups but will be hoping to be on the plane to the World Cup. Here are a few of them.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-13T09:05:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/12193603\/feature_image-x-3-purple-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Guilherme Mirra\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/11e48d44f9c6c2a722b00a0145e36b75\"},\"headline\":\"Brazil analysis: 10 &#8216;outsiders&#8217; from the preliminary squad that could shine at the World Cup\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-12T18:53:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-13T09:05:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202\/\"},\"wordCount\":1294,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/12193603\/feature_image-x-3-purple-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202\/\",\"name\":\"Brazil analysis: 10 'outsiders' from the preliminary squad that could shine at the World Cup | Squawka | EN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/brazil-analysis-preliminary-world-cup-squad-202\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/05\/12193603\/feature_image-x-3-purple-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-12T18:53:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-13T09:05:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"Big-name players have been missing in recent Brazil call-ups but will be hoping to be on the plane to the World Cup. 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