Carlo Ancelotti makes key call on Neymar ahead of March friendlies as Brazil boss sets deadline for final 2026 FIFA World Cup decision

As the countdown to the 2026 World Cup accelerates, speculation has intensified over whether the Selecao’s all-time leading scorer will return to the international stage this March.

Carlo Ancelotti and Neymar once again find their names intertwined at a decisive crossroads for the Brazil national team. As the countdown to the 2026 World Cup accelerates, speculation has intensified over whether the Selecao’s all-time leading scorer will return to the international stage this March.

For the Brazilian public, Neymar remains the emotional centerpiece of the national team. For Ancelotti, however, sentiment does not outweigh structure. The Italian coach is shaping a squad not just for friendlies, but for a global tournament where physical condition, tactical clarity, and squad balance will determine everything.

Brazil is scheduled to travel to the United States for two high-profile friendlies against France and Croatia. The matches, set for Boston and Orlando, represent the final experimental window before the definitive World Cup list is finalized.

According to ESPN Brasil, Neymar was never part of the original blueprint for these fixtures. The early elimination of Santos from the Campeonato Paulista — a disappointing result against Novorizontino — did not alter that stance. Instead, it reinforced an already cautious roadmap.

In the middle of the mounting speculation, the key decision has emerged: Carlo Ancelotti is not planning to call Neymar up for the March friendlies. This is not a rejection; it’s a postponement. The coaching staff views March not as a ceremonial return for the No. 10, but as a laboratory for unresolved tactical questions.

Calculated delay, not closed door?

Ancelotti’s technical team believes they already understand what Neymar offers. Integration is not the issue; fitness is. Reports from ESPN Brasil indicate that the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) continues to monitor Neymar’s progress closely following his long injury layoff.

The expectation had been for the forward to regain rhythm gradually at club level before re-entering international contention. The Italian manager has maintained a transparent condition for any recall: elite physical readiness. The ultimate evaluation will not occur in March; it will come in May.

That month has been set internally as the decisive checkpoint. By then, Ancelotti will determine whether Neymar is physically and technically prepared to compete at the level required for the World Cup. If he is, the door remains wide open. If not, he risks missing what would be his fourth World Cup appearance after 2014, 2018, and 2022. In essence, March belongs to assessment; May belongs to Neymar.

Tactical priorities beyond the star

While public discourse remains fixed on Neymar, Ancelotti’s focus extends elsewhere. The staff is addressing structural uncertainties within the squad. Key questions remain in multiple departments: both full-back positions, depth behind central defenders Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes, cover for Bruno Guimaraes in midfield, and the overall attacking balance.

The March friendlies are designed to clarify these doubts. The coaching commission believes this window is better used to evaluate fringe profiles rather than reintegrate a player whose qualities are already well established. Neymar’s soccer identity is not under debate. His physical durability is.

As one internal assessment suggests, there is no urgency to “see how he fits.” The only variable is whether he can sustain the physical demands of modern international soccer.