João Pedro occupies only ninth place in the English Premier League with Chelsea. Bruno Guimarães sits in 13th with Newcastle. Andrey Santos and João Pedro, despite representing the reigning world champion Chelsea, could only manage ninth in the league. Midfielder Danilo and his Botafogo team are stuck in 12th in the Brazilian Serie A.
It is with a squad featuring numerous players who have spent the current season far from the most prestigious and ambitious objectives—essentially stuck in the middle of the domestic league tables they compete in—that Brazil will seek to end a 24-year drought and claim its sixth World Cup title in 2026.
A survey conducted by the *Blog do Rafael Reis* shows that 13 of the 30 most likely players called up by Carlo Ancelotti for the world’s most important football competition play for clubs that are outside the top three of their respective leagues this year. Moreover, most are well behind the leading pack, also below fifth place, as in the four examples mentioned above.
So far, only one of the main candidates for a place in the Brazilian World Cup squad has already won a domestic league title this season: winger Raphinha, who helped Barcelona win Spain’s La Liga.
Another five athletes represent teams currently leading their leagues and could lift trophies in the coming days: Gabriel Magalhães and Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal, England), goalkeeper Bento (Al-Nassr, Saudi Arabia), defender Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain, France), and left-back Douglas Santos (Zenit Saint Petersburg, Russia). Marquinhos and his two Arsenal teammates are also Champions League finalists, ensuring that, for the 21st consecutive edition, there will be at least one representative of five-time world champion Brazil on the podium.
**The Path to the Hexa**
Brazil will learn Ancelotti’s 26 chosen players on Monday, May 18. The selected squad will report the following week and play two preparatory friendlies before the FIFA tournament. First, they will face Panama on May 31 at the Maracanã to say goodbye to their fans before traveling to North America. Then, on June 6, they will take on Egypt in Cleveland.
Brazil is in Group C of the FIFA tournament and opens against Morocco on June 13. Their other opponents in the group stage on the road to a sixth star are Haiti and Scotland. All three matches will be held in the United States.
**The Biggest Ever**
Marked so far by the absence of Italy and the uncertainty over Iran’s participation (the country is at war with the United States), the 2026 World Cup will be the most grandiose ever. For the first time in history, matches will be spread across three different countries: Canada, the USA, and Mexico. It will also set new records for number of participating teams (48, up from 32 in the last seven editions), registered players (over 1,200), and matches played (104). The kickoff is scheduled for June 11 at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, with the host nation facing South Africa. The final will be held in the USA, in New Jersey, on July 19.