Ancelotti recalls Casemiro and Antony in first Brazil squad

Carlo Ancelotti has named his first squad as coach of Brazil, handing a recall to Casemiro.

Ancelotti was confirmed as the replacement for Dorival Junior on May 12, officially taking charge following the end of his second spell with Real Madrid last Saturday.

He will take charge of his first game on June 5 in a World Cup qualifier with Ecuador in Guayaquil before Brazil host Paraguay in São Paulo five days later as they look to solidify their grip on a place in the 2026 World Cup finals.

And in naming his squad for those games, Ancelotti has put his faith in a player he knows extremely well from his two spells with Madrid.

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro captained Brazil at the 2022 World Cup, but he has not played for the Selecao since a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay in October 2023.

There is also a recall for Antony, the United forward on loan at Real Betis.

Antony has not featured for Brazil since a friendly with Morocco in March 2023. However, having fallen out of favour at Old Trafford, he has enjoyed an upturn in form at Betis under Manuel Pellegrini.

TIME CONVOCADO! 🇧🇷

O treinador da Seleção Brasileira, Carlo Ancelotti, anunciou nesta segunda-feira (26) a lista dos convocados para os jogos contra Equador e Paraguai, pelas Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo 2026.

ISSO É BRASIL! 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/oYWYg7R8mh

— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) May 26, 2025

He has scored nine goals and provided five assists in his time with Betis, helping them reach Wednesday’s Conference League final, in which they will face Chelsea.

Tottenham striker Richarlison is back in the squad and could play for Brazil for the first time since March 2024, but there is no place for Neymar, who only recently returned from a hamstring issue.

“Neymar’s out of the list as he’s just returned from injury,” Ancelotti said.

“I spoke to him and we’ve agreed on this. I trust Neymar, I count on him, we want him to arrive in best conditions to the World Cup.”

Brazil are fourth in the 10-team CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying group on 21 points, six points clear of seventh-placed Venezuela in the inter-confederation play-off spot.

Brazil squad:

Adblock test (Why?)