Brazil XI Who WON’T be at the 2026 World Cup

When it comes to World Cup football, one nation almost always springs to mind – Brazil. With more World Cups under their belt than any other team, there is good reasoning behind this thought process.

Due to this, there are a number of top Brazilian stars who will miss out on the 2026 World Cup. In this piece, we’ve put together an XI of Brazil players who probably won’t be at the tournament – do you agree with our picks?

GK: Lucas Perri

Lucas Perri has been unfortunate to have been born into the same era as Ederson and Alisson – due to their extensive abilities, he has yet to win a cap for his country.

This likely will not change in the summer. Alisson remains one of the best ‘keepers in the world – as such, the Leeds United man will need to wait a little longer.

RB: Vanderson

Injuries have posed a long-standing plight for Vanderson this season. He has suffered at least two injury issues this season, including a hamstring problem that kept him out of action for almost two months.

A cultured attacking full-back, Vanderson is only 24 years of age – his time will come eventually, but we’d be surprised to see him in Brazil’s squad this year.

CB: Thiago Silva

Thiago Silva is a Brazilian legend – sadly, the former Chelsea and PSG superstar is well beyond his prime years, despite still being a capable hand.

Aged 41, he currently plays for Porto, who are top of the Primeira Liga – however, he has only made five league appearances for them this season.

CB: Murillo

Murillo has had a disappointing campaign with Nottingham Forest this season. He looked fantastic in 2024/25 – as such, his performances in 2025/26 have been a real let-down.

It hasn’t been his fault exclusively – Forest have underperformed overall, but he will need to do more if he wants to remain a regular member of the Brazil team.

LB: Alex Telles

Alex Telles’ age is his biggest issue. At 33, he will need to make way for the younger generation to bleed through now.

It’s a shame – he has only played for Brazil 12 times in his 19-year professional career. Nevertheless, this is the World Cup – tough decisions will need to be made.

DM: Fabinho

Like Alex Telles, Fabinho’s main issue is the amount of miles he has on the clock. Once the best defensive midfielder in the world, he hasn’t been truly world-class for well over half a decade now.

The former Liverpool star is still doing a fine job at Monaco, but always looks lacking when facing some of the best teams in the game.

CM: Andreas Pereira

Former Manchester United man Andreas Pereira may have sneaked into the squad in another year, but the competition in central midfield is far too fierce in 2026.

Additionally, Pereira is currently playing for Palmeiras in the Brazilian Serie A – Carlo Ancelotti will probably aim his focus on players at European clubs.

CM: Douglas Luiz

Douglas Luiz’s career has taken a bit of a nosedive since his initial Aston Villa depature. Now that he is back at Villa Park, he doesn’t look like the same player he once was.

While still a high-quality central midfielder with plenty to offer, he won’t beat out the likes of Bruno Guimaraes or Joelinton.

RW: Rodrygo

Rodrygo can consider himself desperately unlucky to be a part of this XI – he is set to miss out on the World Cup after picking up a major ACL injury.

In a heartbreaking statement, Rodrygo described his diagnosis as ‘one of the worst days of my life’. Let’s hope he can keep his head up – at just 25 years of age, he still has time to make his mark at a World Cup.

LW: Neymar

This may shock some – however, if you have been paying close attention, it becomes quite clear that Neymar doesn’t deserve a spot in Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad.

He may sneak into the team based on star power alone – but after a series of injuries, Neymar will not make it into the Brazil squad based on merit alone.

ST: Endrick

Endrick has been putting in some fantastic performances for Lyon recently, but it is probably too little, too late for the 19-year-old.

Ancelotti is famously one of Endrick’s biggest critics – as the current Brazil boss, it is highly unlikely that he will want anything to do with him at the World Cup.