On Monday, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti revealed his 26-player roster for the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. And there was one obvious surprise that stood out above the rest:
Neymar Jr. made the World Cup squad.
In fact, it was so surprising that even Neymar himself was overwhelmed with emotion upon hearing the news.
The 34-year-old Brazilian superstar had battled injuries for much of this season and only played eight matches for Santos after undergoing meniscus surgery. And with arguably the deepest talent pool in the world, Brazil had plenty of options that would have made more sense on paper in 2026 than Neymar (João Pedro or Antony, for example).
Ancelotti, though, saw it differently. And when Neymar heard his name announced in the live event from Rio de Janeiro, this was his reaction.
🥺🇧🇷 The moment when Neymar Jr got called up by Carlo Ancelotti…@neymarjr 🎥 pic.twitter.com/xFIxeMh4nw
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 19, 2026
The news clearly meant the absolute world to Neymar.
With his inclusion on the roster, Neymar is set to make his fourth trip to the World Cup. The Olympic gold medalist will hope to bring home Brazil’s first World Cup title since 2002.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Neymar was in tears after learning he made Brazil’s World Cup team
