Ancelotti: Neymar's Brazil omission a 'technical choice'

Carlo Ancelotti says his decision to leave Neymar out of Brazil's squad for the September internationals was a "technical choice".

Neymar has not played for Brazil since October 2023, when he suffered a serious knee ligament injury.

He missed out on a spot in Ancelotti's first squad in June due to injury and was initially thought to have been left out for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers due to a minor muscle injury he sustained in August while playing for Santos.

However, Ancelotti, who also opted to leave Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo out of his plans this month, confirmed an injury was not the deciding factor.

"It's a technical choice, not one dictated by physical problems," Ancelotti said.

"It was a technical decision based on several factors. Nobody can deny Neymar's talent, but we evaluate the physical condition importantly, his and the others'."

Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer with 79 goals and has the second most caps for his nation (behind Cafu), with 128 appearances.

The 33-year-old has previously said he is determined to be in the squad for next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, though Ancelotti noted that there are a lot of players also vying for their places in the squad.

"There is huge competition," Ancelotti added. "We have at least 70 players who are pushing for the Selecao.

"I already have a consolidated group in mind for the World Cup. The biggest mistake would be to get the list of 26 wrong. The quality is there, but the strength of the collective group is what counts.

"It has been 24 years since Brazil last won the World Cup. The time has come. The responsibility is enormous, but the motivation of an entire country can also make a big difference."

Brazil have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, and will face Chile and Bolivia in their final qualifiers on Thursday and Tuesday, respectively.