While including Raphinha and leaving Neymar and Casemiro out, head coach Carlo Ancelotti has dropped a total of 15 players from his 2026 World Cup squad for the upcoming international window. Carlo Ancelotti has initiated the blueprint for his second World Cup cycle following a disappointing round-of-16 exit against Norway. Omitting established stars like Neymar and Casemiro while recalling Barcelona winger Raphinha, the Italian manager released a transformed squad list that drops 15 players from the roster that featured in the 2026 World Cup across North America. Following a 2-1 defeat to Norway, Neymar confirmed his international retirement, signaling the end of his career with the national team. Midfielder Casemiro was similarly expected to step away from international duty after departing European football to sign with Inter Miami at age 34. However, Ancelotti expanded beyond those expected departures, executing a sweeping roster overhaul for the upcoming international window. Of the 26 players who traveled to North America for the World Cup, 15 were omitted, making way for eight first-time call-ups to the senior squad. Ancelotti’s new 26-player roster Goalkeepers: Hugo Souza (Corinthians), Pedro Morisco (Coritiba), and Otavio (Cruzeiro)Defenders: Arthur Dias (Athletico Paranaense), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal), Jair (Nottingham Forest), Marquinhos (PSG), Mateuzinho (Corinthians), Mauro Jr (PSV Eindhoven), Vitor Reis (Manchester City), and Wesley (AS Roma)Midfielders: Andrey Santos (Manchester City), Breno Bidon (Corinthians), Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal), Danilo (Botafogo), Douglas Luiz (Juventus), and Gabriel Bontempo (Santos)Forwards: Endrick (Real Madrid), Estevao (Chelsea), Joao Pedro (Chelsea), Pedro (Flamengo), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rayan (Bournemouth), Samuel Lino (Flamengo), and Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) 26 CONVOCADOS! 🇧🇷A Seleção está pronta para novos desafios: dois jogos contra a Austrália e o primeiro confronto da história contra a Índia.25/09 | Austrália29/09 | Austrália03/10 | ÍndiaISSO É BRASIL! 🇧🇷#BateNoPeito pic.twitter.com/Yht5SuOHjr— brasil (@CBF_Futebol) September 9, 2026 Through these selections, Ancelotti reaffirmed his commitment to integrating a younger generation of talent into the national team setup while holding the base of huge names such as Raphinha and Vinicius Junior as preparations begin for the 2030 World Cup cycle. The transition represents an imperative structural pivot given the advanced age of the previous roster. During the 2026 World Cup, Brazil fielded the seventh-oldest squad in the tournament with an average age of 29.3 years, trailing only Iran, Panama, Colombia, Qatar, Cape Verde, and Scotland. Data from Transfermarkt indicates Ancelotti’s revised selection averages 24.9 years of age, reducing the roster’s collective age profile by nearly five full years. High-profile exclusions from the squad Marking an official roster transition, the full list of players omitted from Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad includes Alisson, Ederson, Weverton, Alex Sandro, Gleison Bremer, Leo Pereira, Roger Ibanez, Danilo, Fabinho, Casemiro, Luiz Henrique, Gabriel Martinelli, Matheus Cunha, Igor Thiago, and Neymar. While absent from the upcoming autumn window, select players remain within Ancelotti’s long-term pool. While veterans like Neymar, Casemiro, Alex Sandro, and Danilo are unlikely to return, prime-age contributors such as Matheus Cunha (27), Gabriel Martinelli (25), and Igor Thiago (25) are expected to feature in future squad selections. Ancelotti’s roster overhaul drew public criticism from former defender Thiago Silva regarding the lack of veteran leadership, an issue the head coach directly addressed during Wednesday’s press conference: “For the objectives we have in these friendlies, it is a balanced list. Right now is a moment to prioritize the young players who have potential and could be there in the future. One thing is certain: a 34 or 35-year-old player won’t h
The media in Slovenia have been bristling with indignation in the build-up to Manchester United's return to the Champions League over Michael Carrick's treatment of Benjamin Sesko.
George Bello and Alex Freeman became the 50th and 51st Americans to play in the UEFA Champions League and before that the European Cup. The post Americans in the Champions League: From Steve Trittschuh to Alex Freeman and George Bello appeared first on Soccer America.
Leeds United legend Jon Newsome has defender Whites goalkeeper James Trafford from criticism after he joked with Chelsea players. The post ‘You Don’t Know’ – Leeds United Legend Defends Whites Star Amid Laughing Post Chelsea Loss appeared first on Inside Futbol | Latest Football News, Transfer Rumours & Articles.
Former England striker Gary Lineker (Picture: YouTube) Gary Lineker insists Arsenal are ‘one of the favourites’ to win the Champions League but could be denied by Barcelona following the signing of Manchester City legend Rodri. Premier League champions Arsenal kick-started their Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win over Serie A side Napoli on Wednesday. The Gunners enjoyed a memorable run to the final last season before suffering a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to back-to-back winners PSG. Lineker believes Arsenal are once again one of the leading contenders to become European champions after a productive summer and strong start to the new season. Sign up for In The Mixer, Metro's football newsletter Get exclusive analysis and previews of the biggest games every Friday. Sign up now for free. Mikel Arteta bolstered his title-winning squad with the signings of Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, England defender Ezri Konsa and Greece winger Christos Tzolis during the summer transfer window. Arsenal already look like favourites to retain their Premier League crown, with Manchester City the only other team to still boast a perfect record after three games. While Lineker expects Arsenal to go back-to-back in the Premier League, he believes they could be a ‘superstar’ short in the Champions League, where he expects Barcelona to thrive. PSG have won the last two Champions Leagues (Picture: Getty) Hansi Flick’s Spanish champions were minutes away from the Champions League final two years ago before reaching the quarter-finals last season. Barca, who are already three points clear of La Liga rivals Real Madrid, welcomed Ballon d’Or Rodri to the Nou Camp in the summer in a £65m deal from Man City. ‘Arsenal will be one of the favourites but I don’t think overall they’ve got quite the superstars that some of the other big guns in Europe have,’ Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast. Arsenal suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat (Picture: Getty) ‘I do think Barcelona might be quite tasty and take some beating this season now they’ve got Rodri in there as well in that crucial position.’ Ex-Man City defender Micah Richards has also questioned whether Arsenal have the attacking flair to go one better in the Champions League. Arteta tried to sign Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez in the summer but the Brazil icon stayed at Real Madrid while the Argentine striker failed to force his way out of Atletico Madrid. {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"'It was beautiful': Arteta hails Arsenal's attack-to-defence display in win against Chelsea","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/09\/07\/2593273995855020828\/480x270_MP4_2593273995855020828.mp4","description":"Arsenal came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium after Morgan Rogers stunned home fans into silence with a volleyed goal 77 seconds into the game.","duration":"T5M27S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/09\/07\/07\/111091359-0-image-a-53_1788761962819.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-09-07T07:17:08+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); ‘I’ve got no doubts about them in the Premier League but I’m not sure about Arsenal in the Champions League,’ Richards added. ‘If you go back to last season they were actually favour
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