\n
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Neymar was named in Brazil’s World Cup squad on Monday, a selection many local analysts and former soccer players thought unlikely just a few days ago. The striker will be playing in his fourth World Cup.<\/p>\n
Neymar, 34, is Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals, but has struggled to return to peak fitness since tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in October 2023. He has played in eight games for Santos this year, scoring four goals and providing two assists.<\/p>\n
“He has improved his fitness and will be an important player for this World Cup,” Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said at a press conference in Rio de Janeiro.<\/p>\n
The coach added that he would prioritize experienced players such as Neymar for some positions in the squad.<\/p>\n
“We can still improve our fitness until the first game of the World Cup,” Ancelotti said. “He has experience in this type of competition, he loves our group, and he can create a better environment for this group.”<\/p>\n
Shortly before Ancelotti’s squad was announced, Neymar made a revealing change to his Instagram profile. He only has Santos as a reference for where he currently plays, and added Brazil to that list.<\/p>\n
Brazil’s 26-man squad also includes recent key players Vinicius Junior and Rafinha.<\/p>\n
Ancelotti appointed as his successor May 2025<\/span> But they did not summon Neymar until Monday.<\/p>\nLast week he extended his contract with the Brazilian Football Federation until the 2030 World Cup, but so far Brazil has had a difficult time with a number of injured players missing from the World Cup squad. Strikers Rodrygo and Estebao are the players he will miss most in North America.<\/p>\n
Brazil will open the World Cup against Morocco in New Jersey on June 13, followed by Haiti and Scotland in Group C.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Brazil<\/p>\n
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Fenerbahce), Weverton (Gremio)<\/p>\n
Defenders: Alex Sandro, Danilo, Leo Pereira (Flamengo), Bremer (Juventus), Ibanez (Al Ahly), Wesley (Roma), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Gabriel Magalh\u00e3es (Arsenal), Douglas Santos (Zenit St. Petersburg)<\/p>\n
Midfielders: Bruno Guimar\u00e3es (Newcastle), Casemiro (Manchester United), Danilo Santos (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al Itihad), Lucas Paqueta (Flamengo)<\/p>\n
Forwards: Endrik (Lyon), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Rafinha (Barcelona), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Luis Enrique (Zenit St. Petersburg), Neymar (Santos), Rayan (Bournemouth).<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP World Cup coverage: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Neymar was named in Brazil’s World Cup squad on Monday, a selection many local analysts and former soccer players thought unlikely just a few days ago. The striker will be playing in his fourth World Cup. Neymar, 34, is Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals, but has struggled to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-33921","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer"},"yoast_head":"\n
Neymar selected for Brazil World Cup despite doubts over his fitness - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Neymar selected for Brazil World Cup despite doubts over his fitness - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Neymar was named in Brazil’s World Cup squad on Monday, a selection many local analysts and former soccer players thought unlikely just a few days ago. The striker will be playing in his fourth World Cup. Neymar, 34, is Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals, but has struggled to\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-19T01:05:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin_ok9yktt6\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/\",\"name\":\"Neymar selected for Brazil World Cup despite doubts over his fitness - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F522Fcc2F5d4ff5a61ae0f70f154d0ad66c9d2F56b74cec483a45cb8b4b230525355a8d.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-19T01:05:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F522Fcc2F5d4ff5a61ae0f70f154d0ad66c9d2F56b74cec483a45cb8b4b230525355a8d.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F522Fcc2F5d4ff5a61ae0f70f154d0ad66c9d2F56b74cec483a45cb8b4b230525355a8d.jpeg\",\"width\":980,\"height\":653},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Neymar selected for Brazil World Cup despite doubts over his fitness\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/\",\"name\":\"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates\",\"description\":\"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9\",\"name\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin_ok9yktt6\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Neymar selected for Brazil World Cup despite doubts over his fitness - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Neymar selected for Brazil World Cup despite doubts over his fitness - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","og_description":"RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Neymar was named in Brazil’s World Cup squad on Monday, a selection many local analysts and former soccer players thought unlikely just a few days ago. The striker will be playing in his fourth World Cup. Neymar, 34, is Brazil’s all-time top scorer with 79 goals, but has struggled to","og_url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/","og_site_name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","article_published_time":"2026-05-19T01:05:25+00:00","author":"admin_ok9yktt6","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin_ok9yktt6","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/","name":"Neymar selected for Brazil World Cup despite doubts over his fitness - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F522Fcc2F5d4ff5a61ae0f70f154d0ad66c9d2F56b74cec483a45cb8b4b230525355a8d.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-05-19T01:05:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F522Fcc2F5d4ff5a61ae0f70f154d0ad66c9d2F56b74cec483a45cb8b4b230525355a8d.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/urlhttps3A2F2Fassets.apnews.com2F522Fcc2F5d4ff5a61ae0f70f154d0ad66c9d2F56b74cec483a45cb8b4b230525355a8d.jpeg","width":980,"height":653},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/neymar-selected-for-brazil-world-cup-despite-doubts-over-his-fitness\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Neymar selected for Brazil World Cup despite doubts over his fitness"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/","name":"EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News & Updates","description":"EPL VIP is your ultimate source for all things related to the English Premier League. Get the latest EPL news, live match updates, transfer rumors, team analysis, fixtures, and exclusive insights for true football fans.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6b2ade58a96ab056f743f12490573ae9","name":"admin_ok9yktt6","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3caa6e0fae133a2d8ebe213abde6eafe85769664d063c8ab6c7960c877d904ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin_ok9yktt6"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/eplvip.com"],"url":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/author\/admin_ok9yktt6\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}