Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has named his first squad since the World Cup disappointment, and it contained several surprises.
The Seleção crashed out of the 2026 World Cup in the round of 16, beaten 2-1 by Norway.
The newspaper "AS" said: "Carlo Ancelotti's new era in Brazil begins here. The Italian coach has announced the list of 26 players who will represent the Seleção in this new phase, which starts with matches against Australia (in two games) and India during the upcoming break."
Eight players earned a first call-up: Pedro Moresco, Otávio, Arthur Dias, Jair Cunha, Matheuzinho, Mauro Júnior, Breno Bidon and Gabriel Bontempo.
Others return after missing the last World Cup, among them Estêvão, André Santos and João Pedro.
Sixteen players have gone. With the old guard cleared out, Ancelotti is revolutionising the Brazil squad on the road to the 2030 World Cup.
A raft of other key figures departed after the "catastrophic" World Cup, most notably Neymar, Danilo, Casemiro, Fabinho, Alex Sandro, Alisson and Ederson.
Brazil were never favourites to win it, but they had aspired to reach the latter stages. Two goals from Haaland in the round of 16 ended those hopes.
A deep slump has gripped the country ever since. Countless programmes have picked over the reasons for the failure and asked who would set things right from September.
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The real Ancelotti era
The Brazilian Football Confederation decided to start afresh, and for good reason. They declared during the summer: "Now the real Ancelotti era begins." With a blank slate, and without any commitments, the Italian coach is looking to build his team for the next four years, right up to the World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. He wants to blend experience with the new talents that have emerged strongly.
Several surprises made his initial squad after a tour taking in matches on both sides of the Atlantic. He is backing promising players, particularly those capable of contributing individually and collectively.
That thinking left out the likes of Kauã Elias (Shakhtar), André (Corinthians), Sousa (Porto), Kevin (Fulham) and Kaike (Como). Their absence does not mean they cannot force their way in later, though, with the coaching staff holding high hopes they will eventually shine.
Yet this is clearly a Brazil team built around Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha. The Real Madrid and Barcelona pair will lead Brazil in this new phase as the two key figures in Ancelotti's line-up.
At the World Cup in the United States, Neymar made clear they are his heirs. They now sit on the throne of kings, the throne of Pelé, Romário, Garrincha, Sócrates, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
"Carletto" also insists the player who must now step up is Endrick. With no outright striker to rely on, the Italian coach sees him as one of the future leaders in the new era.
Ancelotti said: "It's true that we tried out many strikers this year. The situation is clear, we have many extremely talented young players, and we must support their development. One of them is well known: Endrick. We have other strikers performing brilliantly, and others being left out of the line-up. We have good alternatives, but Endrick will be an important player for Brazil in the future."
Ancelotti's squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Hugo Souza (Corinthians), Moresco (Coritiba), Otávio (Cruzeiro).
Defence: Arthur Dias (Athletico-PR), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Jair (Nottingham Forest), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Matheuzinho (Corinthians), Mauro Júnior (PSV Eindhoven), Vitor Reis (Manchester City), Wesley (Roma).
Midfield: André Santos (Manchester United), Breno Bidon (Corinthians), Bruno Guimarães (Arsenal), Danilo Santos (Botafogo), Douglas Luiz (Juventus), Gabriel Bontempo (Santos)
Attack: Endrick (Real Madrid), Estêvão (Chelsea), João Pedro (Chelsea), Pedro (Flamengo), Raphinha (Barcelona), Ryan (Bournemouth), Samuel Lino (Flamengo), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid).
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