Ancelotti explained Neymar's absence from the Brazil national team.

Brazilian national football team head coach Carlo Ancelotti explained why Neymar was not called up to the national team. This information was provided by Marca.

Brazil will play matches against Ecuador and Paraguay in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The games will take place on June 6 and 11.

«We have to win, as these are important matches for qualifying for the World Cup. Neymar has just recovered from injury. There are also many players who could not come due to injuries. We are counting on Neymar in his best form. I spoke with him to explain the situation, and he completely agrees», said Ancelotti.

Carlo Ancelotti became the first foreign coach to lead the Brazil national team.

«Bringing Carlo Ancelotti into the Brazil national team is more than a strategic step. It is a position before the whole world that we intend to reclaim our place at the top. He is the greatest coach in history, and now he will lead the best national team in the world. Together, we will write new pages in the history of Brazilian football», said CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues.

2026 World Cup. Qualification cycle

UEFA (Europe) has 16 slots. Qualification in the European zone will take place from March 2025 to March 2026 and will consist of two rounds.

1st round of qualification: 12 groups of five or four national teams will play from March to November 2025 in a group system. The 12 group winners will secure direct spots in the final tournament.

The 12 teams that finish in second place and the four best group winners from the Nations League positioned below second place in the European qualification group stage will participate in playoff mini-tournaments.

2026 World Cup. Final tournament

The 2026 World Cup will be the first in history where 48 teams will compete in the final stage. There will be 12 groups of four teams each. The top two from each group and the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the Round of 16.

The opening match will take place on June 11, 2026, in Mexico City, and the final match will be held on July 19 in New York.

Recall that Russia was excluded from the draw for the World Cup qualifiers.

It will be interesting to see the results of these matches and which national teams will qualify for the final tournament of the 2026 World Cup.