In the past, we covered how Neymar’s transfer to Al Hilal impacted the club’s chances ahead of the AFC Champions League.
Since then, the star player returned to Santos, was left out of Brazil’s World Cup squad, and has revealed he’ll become a free agent in January 2026.
Now Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has made it clear that the next six months are crucial for Neymar’s World Cup chances.
World Cup 2026
All eyes are on the FIFA World Cup for the summer of ’26, where we’ll get to see its expanded 48-team structure in action for the first time.
While Argentina will return as defending champions, their Brazilian neighbours have brought in experienced coach Carlo Ancelotti to help take the title.
As the biggest event in the football calendar, there’s no shortage of rumour, discussion, and analysis ahead of the actual games.
While pundits speculate on the event’s internal politics, fans are eager to see which teams appear most competitive and how the football betting markets reflect those expectations.
Neymar’s free agent status is the latest wrinkle that could influence fans’ decisions going forward, to say nothing of the World Cup itself.
Ancelotti’s World Cup Ultimatum
Brazil has surged to become a competitive force ahead of the 2026 World Cup, helped by Carlo Ancelotti as the new coach and Casemiro as national team captain.
Since Neymar is also back in Brazil, pundits and fans have wondered if he’d join the national team and make his fourth appearance in a World Cup tournament.
Don Carlo ended that speculation in a November 17th press conference where he explained that Neymar is on the player shortlist, but there’s a catch.
“There are six months left until the final list, and we have to observe him and others. We must avoid mistakes in the final list,” Neymar added.
Ancelotti’s cautious remarks make sense, given the coach’s long career of managing some of the best footballers in the world.
He isn’t going to be blinded by Neymar’s star power and certainly isn’t going to add him to the team based on his name alone.
Neymar may be Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals, but Ancelotti wants to see if the Neymar of 2025/6 is playing at the same level as 2014-22.
Analysts suggest that Ancelotti’s comments indicate that Neymar’s performance over the next six months will be critical for his World Cup selection.
Neymar last played for Brazil in October 2023, which ended with a ruptured ACL that required surgery.
This led to him being left out of Brazil’s 2024 Copa America team, making his comeback with Al Hilal at the AFC Champions League instead.
He won a Globe Soccer Award, but true to Ancelotti’s concerns, this was a Player Career Award given for his lifetime record as a footballer.
Following his departure from Al Hilal, coach Jorge Jesus expressed concerns about Neymar’s ability to maintain previous performance levels.
Heading into 2026, it remains to be seen whether Neymar will secure a place in Brazil’s World Cup squad.
For now, Ancelotti is keeping the door open for Brazil’s best scorer to make a comeback in the final years of his career.
