Now that qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has concluded and Brazil are officially in the field of 48, Carlo Ancelotti will begin building towards the tournament itself as the Selecao travel to meet Japan and South Korea during the October international break.
Brazil will meet South Korea first on October 10 in Seoul, before jetting across to Japan for a match against the Samurai Blue four days later in Tokyo.
Ancelotti will use these fixtures to hand some fringe players a chance to impress while seemingly giving some first-choice attacking players time to gel before World Cup preparations begin in earnest next year.
The Sporting News brings you a look at the roster for these two matches and what it means for Brazil moving forward towards the World Cup next summer in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
MORE: Has Neymar retired from international duty?
Brazil roster for October 2025
Ancelotti named a roster of 26 players to participate in the road friendlies against South Korea and Japan during the 2025 October international break.
The big news was the return of Real Madrid duo Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, along with Manchester United forward Matheus Cunha, who withdrew from the squad last month due to injury.
There is a distinct Premier League feel to this particular roster: 12 of the players called up play in England’s top flight, including every one of the midfielders. Goalkeeper Ederson and full-back Wesley also have Premier League experience.
Caps correct as of October 2, 2025
| Pos | Name | Club | Caps |
| Goalkeeper | Bento | Al Nassr (KSA) | 4 |
| Goalkeeper | Ederson | Fenerbahce (TUR) | 29 |
| Goalkeeper | Hugo Souza | Corinthians (BRA) | 0 |
| Defender | Caio Henrique | Monaco (FRA) | 2 |
| Defender | Carlos Augusto | Inter Milan (ITA) | 2 |
| Defender | Douglas Santos | Zenit (RUS) | 2 |
| Defender | Eder Militao | Real Madrid (SPA) | 35 |
| Defender | Fabricio Bruno | Cruzeiro (BRA) | 3 |
| Defender | Gabriel Magalhaes | Arsenal (ENG) | 15 |
| Defender | Beraldo | PSG (FRA) | 4 |
| Defender | Vanderson | Monaco (FRA) | 7 |
| Defender | Wesley | Shenzhen Peng City (CHI) | 1 |
| Midfielder | Andre | Wolves (ENG) | 12 |
| Midfielder | Bruno Guimaraes | Newcastle United (ENG) | 37 |
| Midfielder | Casemiro | Manchester United (ENG) | 78 |
| Midfielder | Joao Gomes | Wolves (ENG) | 10 |
| Midfielder | Joelinton | Newcastle United (ENG) | 7 |
| Midfielder | Lucas Paqueta | West Ham (ENG) | 57 |
| Forward | Estevao | Chelsea (ENG) | 7 |
| Forward | Gabriel Martinelli | Arsenal (ENG) | 19 |
| Forward | Igor Jesus | Nottingham Forest (ENG) | 4 |
| Forward | Luiz Henrique | Zenit (RUS) | 8 |
| Forward | Matheus Cunha | Manchester United (ENG) | 15 |
| Forward | Richarlison | Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) | 52 |
| Forward | Rodrygo | Real Madrid (SPA) | 33 |
| Forward | Vinicius Junior | Real Madrid (SPA) | 41 |
Neymar misses out again due to injury
It feels as though Neymar’s return to the Brazil national team may never come.
It will be two years this month since the 33-year-old went down with a terrible knee injury in a World Cup qualifying defeat to Uruguay.
Despite Neymar returning last year and joining Santos to rebuild his playing career, he still has not been able to play for the national team since that injury in 2023.
Last month, Ancelotti deemed Neymar to not be fully fit for duty, pushing his potential return from exodus to October. Instead, the wait will go on as the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has suffered yet another muscle injury. He has been out with a hamstring issue since mid-September and is not expected back for another month.
Neymar deve voltar a jogar pelo Santos em novembro, na reta final do Brasileiro ➡️ https://t.co/BPGcb9Cnsz
📸 Reprodução pic.twitter.com/0Gvoc71NEq
— ge (@geglobo) September 28, 2025
Alisson out, Hugo Souza hoping for debut
With Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson suffering an injury in the UEFA Champions League loss to Galatarasay, Ederson is expected to be first choice during this international break.
There will also be a chance for Hugo Souza to impress. The Corinthians keeper, 24, has been called up twice before but is yet to make an appearance for the senior national team.
Militao, Gabriel to marshal inexperienced defence
Eder Militao and Gabriel are by a distance the most experienced defenders on the roster in terms of international football. None of the others listed has more than seven caps to their name.
Shenzhen Peng City full-back Wesley, who spent four years in the Premier League with Aston Villa, could get the chance to win just his second senior cap a full six years after earning his first.
