The head coach of the Brazilian national football team, Carlo Ancelotti, assured this Friday that if Neymar is ready to play in a World Cup next year, "he will be there, period."

The Italian coach was When questioned about the possibility of including Brazilian star Neymar in the squad for the 2026 World Cup, Ancelotti asserted that if he deserves it, he will be included “period,” during a press conference in Washington, DC, after the group draw. However, Ancelotti had previously stated that “we have more players than Neymar” but that he would have to make a decision in March because “anything can happen,” in response to persistent questioning from the press about the possible presence of the Santos striker, in what could be his last World Cup. Currently, Neymar, 33, is playing the final matches of the Brazilian Championship with Santos, fighting to avoid relegation and recovering from a meniscus injury that may require surgery. “I don't want to have football superstars, I need a group that is willing to win,” Ancelotti argued when asked about the supposed lack of standout stars in the current Brazilian generation under his management. After the draw of For the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Brazil was placed as the top seed in Group D alongside Morocco, Scotland, and Haiti. "We have to respect all our rivals; they are all solid teams," Ancelotti added, concluding that the next step is to find out the order of the matches and then locate a good training camp to serve as the Brazilians' base for the tournament. Brazil is the most successful team in World Cup history with five titles. However, they haven't won a title since the 2002 edition when they defeated Germany in the final in Korea/Japan.