‘Brazil have 70 players that can go to the 2026 World Cup’ – Carlo Ancelotti

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has defended his reason to leave Neymar out of the September squad for the World Cup qualifiers.

When Ancelotti announced his squad last week, the Brazilian press and football fans were shocked to learn that Neymar had been left out. It was always going to be a topic when the Italian met the press.

On Wednesday, when Big Carlo Ancelotti met the Brazilian media for a briefing, he was forced to explain why he left the Santos star out.

Ancelloti said;

“Neymar’s interview? It’s true. It’s a technical decision based on many factors.

“We look at what the player is doing & what he’s been doing.

“When I talk about his fitness level, the entire committee considers it very important.

“I said in the last interview, no one can argue with Neymar’s technical level.

“What we monitor every day & every game is his physical condition, but not just his, but of all the players here we’re evaluating.

‘The truth is that the national team has A LOT of competition; we think they have roughly 70 players that could go to the World Cup,” Ancelotti said.

Brazil will host Chile and travel to Bolivia in rounds 17 and 18 of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.

Nymar’s return to Santos has not been that successful due to his injury record. The forward remains part of Ancelotti’s plans, but must be physically in good shape.

The Selecao sit in third on the log, trailing runaway leaders Argentina by 10 points, albeit they are expected to qualify yet again for another World Cup.