2026 World Cup may have the same base as the Brazilian team that played in Qatar

With the departure of coach Tite after the elimination by Croatia in the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Qatar, the new coach should be announced in January by the president of the CBF, Ednaldo Rodrigues. And the commander’s work already begins in February, with the call for the first FIFA date of the year, between March 20th and 28th.

The trend is that, regardless of who takes the job, the base of the Brazilian team is made up of players who played in the tournament in Qatar.

As it will be the beginning of a new cycle until the 2026 World Cup, to be held jointly in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the coach will have to follow Tite’s line of work until he manages to call up new players and then impose your style of play.

What is certain is that the oldest athletes in the group, such as Daniel Alves (39), Thiago Silva (38), Weverton (34) and Everton Ribeiro (33), should not have a chance to compete in another World Cup – they should not be called .

In goal, Alisson, 30 years old, should continue as a starter, with Ederson (31) as a shadow. The question will be to find other names for the position that have the level to go to the Cup. The other seven goalkeepers called up by Tite in the last six years are older than the number 1 in Qatar: Neto (Bournemouth-ING), 33 years old; Santos (Flamengo), 32; Alex Muralha (Coritiba), 33; Cassius (Corinthians), 35; Diego Alves (Flamengo), 37; Marcelo Grohe (All Ittihad-ARS), 35; and Danilo Fernandes (Bahia), 34.

If no new name appears in the coming years, the chances of entering the list fall on João Paulo (27), from Santos, and Hugo (23), from Flamengo; in addition to the Olympic champions who stayed in Santos’ reserve in Tokyo-2020: Brenno (23), from Grêmio; and Lucão (21) from Vasco.

However, the biggest headache for the new Brazilian commander will be on both sides, the team’s most lacking position. In Qatar, injuries to Danilo (31), Alex Sandro (31) and Alex Telles (29) were signs of what could happen in 2026.

The three full-backs are also in their 30s and would even be able to play in the next World Cup, but other names will certainly enter the dispute, such as Guilherme Arana (25) and Renan Lodi (24), on the left, and Emerson Royal (23) , on the right, who have already been called up by Tite. Arana, by the way, just didn’t go to Qatar because he was injured shortly before the call-up.

In addition to them, Gabriel Menino (22), from Palmeiras, who can be a full-back or defensive midfielder, and Emerson Palmieri (28), left-back for West Ham-ING, are names to watch out for.

At the back, with the departure of Thiago Silva, in theory Marquinhos and Eder Militão should form the starting duo, with other names already known running outside, such as Bremer, who was a substitute in Qatar, Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal-ING), Diego Carlos (Aston Villa-ING), Rodrigo Caio (Flamengo) and Nino (Fluminense), Olympic champion in Tokyo-2020.

In the midfield, Casemiro will be 34 years old at the next World Cup and, if his physical form allows it, he can still lead the area. Other names that have great chances are Bruno Guimarães and Lucas Paquetá, both currently 25 years old. Fred and Fabinho, who will be 33, will face strong competition from younger players, such as Danilo, from Palmeiras, and João Gomes, from Flamengo, both 21 years old.

In a function of setting up the plays, some names have a great chance of being called again. Then they will have to convince the coaching staff that they can make a difference. Passed over by Tite this year, the Palmeiras player Raphael Veiga (27) is one of those names, as well as Gustavo Scarpa (28), one of the highlights of the Brasileirão 2022.

The others are Claudinho (25), from Zenit-RUS; Reinier (20), from Girona-ITA, Douglas Luiz (24), from Aston Villa-ING, and Andreas Pereira (26), from Fulham-ING.

As this year, the new commander will have options to choose the attackers. Neymar, for example, will be 34 years old in 2026, but it has not yet been decided whether he will continue wearing the yellow jersey. If so, and if he is in good physical condition, he will certainly be called.

All the other front players who went to Qatar are able to be back in the USA, Canada and Mexico. However, several other names should appear along the way, putting vacancies in fierce dispute.

Despite being very young, a striker has already attracted the attention of world football and could even be a starter in 2026 is Endrick, from Palmeiras, only 16 years old. This season, he became the only player in the history of Palmeiras to be champion in all categories of the club, including the main team, with the Brasileirão. And he was still elected the revelation of the championship.

His future will be defined in the coming weeks, but it is virtually certain that he will join Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo at Real Madrid from 2024, when he turns 18. This could even be Brazil’s attacking trio in the World Cup.

But it’s not just Endrick who is on the rise. Some other youngsters, like Vitor Roque (17), from Athletico-PR; Ângelo (17) and Marcos Leonardo (17), from Santos; and Yuri Alberto (21), from Corinthians, are in constant growth and will certainly be watched more closely.

In addition to them, there are also other players who have already played for the national team, such as the Olympic champion Matheus Cunha (23), from Atlético de Madrid-ESP, Gabigol (26), from Flamengo, David Neres (25), from Benfica-POR , and Paulinho (22), from Bayer Leverkusen-ALE.

As you can see, whoever the new coach is, Brazilian or foreign, the task of finding the ideal team will not be easy. Either for lack of options, like in goal and on the wings, or for excess, like in attack.

In any case, as always, Brazil will arrive at the next World Cup as favorites. If he will be able to win the dreamed sixth championship, only time will tell. But optimism and confidence will never lack.