Carlo Ancelotti and his staff have just announced the Brazil national team squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Bolivia in September.
Brazil are all but guaranteed a place in the 2026 tournament in the United States. They are in fact one of the favourites to win the trophy after long.
Some of the most notable omissions from Carlo Ancelotti’s squad are Vinicius Jr, Eder Militao, and Rodrygo from Real Madrid.
Militao is still working toward regular minutes under Xabi Alonso after his long injury layoff, so calling him up for two extra games would not make sense. Vinicius, meanwhile, is suspended for one game already, so a one-match call-up would serve little purpose.
But Rodrygo’s exclusion is the one that raises eyebrows, or does it really?
Carlo Ancelotti explains Rodrygo's exclusion from Brazil squad
Asked by the media why Rodrygo had been left out, Ancelotti gave a clear answer:
“I have a lot of love for Rodrygo. Yesterday he played very well for Real Madrid. It was his first game after a long time, so he still has time to recover and return to the national team. A player who plays in the NT must be 100% physically. It’s important.”
Stripped down, what Ancelotti is saying is simple: Rodrygo hasn’t played enough football recently to merit a national team call-up. And I think his logic makes so much sense.
The match against Real Oviedo was his first start in a long time since the opening game of the Club World Cup. While he was decent, he was not outstanding, even though he played in his preferred position.
And despite the start, Rodrygo's future still seems questionable.
From that perspective, Ancelotti’s reasoning makes sense. Only players who are both fully fit and playing regularly can be considered for the squad. That is also why Neymar, one of Brazil’s biggest names, was left out as well. With his recent injuries and inconsistency, he too was not in the right condition to be called up.
Ancelotti further clarified that the players know exactly what it takes to earn a spot in the national team, even adding that Rodrygo has his personal number if he ever wants further explanation.