Every edition, Brazil is considered a World Cup favorite, probably because star players are always aplenty, and it’s always difficult to pick the ten best soccer players in Brazil.
Anytime, any day, the Seleção are loaded with soccer stars, and it’s not surprising that some of the biggest soccer stars in history are Brazilian.
As they look to win the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2002, here are the ten best soccer players in Brazil at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Carlo Ancelotti took charge in May 2025 and brought calm, authority, and belief to a squad that had been drifting through qualifying without its best players.
The Hexa, the sixth title, the dream that has haunted Brazil since 1970 — it starts now.
1. Neymar
Position: Forward
Age: 34 | Club: Santos (Brazil)
There is certainly no Brazilian player bigger than Neymar or more loved than he is.
Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 international goals returns to the World Cup for a fourth time, and this is one of the most remarkable comeback stories in the history of the sport.
After tearing his ACL in October 2023 while playing for Al Hilal, Neymar spent more than a year away from competitive football before returning to boyhood club Santos.
He scored five crucial goals in Santos’ final four games of the 2025 Brasileirão to help them avoid relegation, underwent knee surgery in December 2025, and committed everything to making this World Cup squad.
He suffered a calf injury in late May 2026 that created real tension in the Brazil camp, but the CBF confirmed positive progress in his recovery.
When Ancelotti read his name aloud during the squad announcement on May 18, the country went wild.
“He will be an important player in this World Cup,” Ancelotti told reporters.
At 34, carrying the weight of a nation’s nostalgia and a mountain of personal adversity, Neymar at his fourth and final World Cup is the most emotionally charged story of the entire tournament.
2. Marquinhos
Position: Defender (Captain)
Age: 32 | Club: Paris Saint-Germain (France)
The captain, the leader, and the defensive spine of Brazil.
Marquinhos has been one of the most consistent centre-backs in European football for over a decade at PSG, and his leadership of this squad under Ancelotti has been central to the new energy around the team.
He reaches 105 international caps at this tournament, which places him among the most decorated defenders in Brazilian football history.
Intelligent, composed, and relentless in the tackle, he is the foundation upon which the attacking brilliance of Vinícius, Raphinha, and Neymar is built.
3. Casemiro
Position: Defensive Midfielder
Age: 34 | Club: Manchester United (England)
Casemiro has consistently been one of the best defensive midfielders in the world for well over a decade.
He won five UEFA Champions Leagues during his legendary time at Real Madrid and brings that winning mentality to everything he does for the national team.
Now at Manchester United, the 34-year-old remains the enforcer Brazil need in the middle of the park — breaking up opposition attacks, protecting the defence, and allowing the creative players ahead of him to express themselves.
He has been with the national team since 2013 and knows what this tournament demands better than almost anyone in the squad.
4. Lucas Paquetá
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Age: 28 | Club: Flamengo (Brazil)
Lucas Paquetá is one of the most creative and technically gifted players in this Brazil squad and one of the most underrated midfielders heading into the tournament.
He returned to Flamengo after his time in European football and has been outstanding in the Brasileirão, driving forward from central positions with the confidence of a player in his prime.
He has 63 caps and 13 international goals, which is a remarkable return for an attacking midfielder and underlines just how important he is to Brazil when he is at his best.
Quick, technically gifted, and a superb dribbler, Paquetá gives Ancelotti something different in the middle of the park.
5. Vinicius Junior
Position: Forward
Age: 25 | Club: Real Madrid (Spain)
The most terrifying wide forward in world football and the player Brazil pin all their attacking hopes on.
Vinícius had one of the best individual seasons of his career in 2025/26 — scoring 22 goals and providing 9 assists across all competitions for Real Madrid, including 16 La Liga goals that placed him among the most lethal forwards in Spain.
He is pace, creativity, and unpredictability distilled into one relentless attacking force.
When he runs at you from the left with the ball at his feet, there is almost nothing you can do.
His journey to this point has not been easy — he has faced racial abuse across European football and responded every single time by letting his football do the talking in the loudest possible way.
Vinicius Junior is one of the best wingers in the world and at 25 and at the absolute peak of his powers, a World Cup on North American soil is his moment to become the greatest Brazilian player of his generation.
6. Alisson Becker
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 33 | Club: Liverpool (England)
Apart from being the undisputed number one for Brazil, Alisson is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
He has been the cornerstone of Arne Slot’s Liverpool and continues to be one of the most complete goalkeepers in the game — commanding in his area, brilliant with the ball at his feet, and outstanding in one-on-one situations.
His 2025/26 season saw him remain imperious at Anfield as Liverpool were the dominant force in English football.
At 33 and with enormous tournament experience, Alisson is the calm anchor at the back of a squad loaded with attacking electricity.
7. Raphinha
Position: Forward
Age: 29 | Club: Barcelona (Spain)
If Vinícius is Brazil’s heartbeat on the left, Raphinha is their engine on the right.
His 2024/25 season at Barcelona was one of the great individual performances in European football — 34 goals and 25 assists in 57 appearances as Barça won a domestic treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup.
He continued that form into 2025/26, adding 13 La Liga goals before the tournament break.
He has 11 international goals from 39 caps and arrives at the 2026 World Cup in the form of his career.
When Vinícius and Raphinha are both firing, defenders cannot afford to focus on either one, and that is precisely when Neymar slips through the gap.
8. Gabriel Magalhães
Position: Defender
Age: 28 | Club: Arsenal (England)
One of the most dominant centre-backs in the Premier League and a defender who has become increasingly important to Brazil’s plans.
Gabriel Magalhães was outstanding for Arsenal in 2025/26 — commanding in the air, aggressive in his duels, and composed in possession for such a physically imposing player.
His partnership with William Saliba at Arsenal is one of the best in European football, and Ancelotti will be hoping he can replicate that alongside Marquinhos for Brazil.
He is one of the best defenders in the world right now.
He has only 17 caps but every one of them has shown why Ancelotti trusts him with the most important defensive role in the squad.
9. Bruno Guimarães
Position: Midfielder
Age: 28 | Club: Newcastle United (England)
One of the most complete central midfielders in European football and arguably the most important player in Brazil’s midfield.
Bruno Guimarães has been exceptional for Newcastle United in the Premier League, winning the ball, driving forward, and contributing goals with a regularity that most box-to-box midfielders can only dream of.
He is the ideal link between Brazil’s sturdy defensive structure and their devastating attack, and at 28 and in the form of his career, he arrives at this World Cup as one of the best midfielders in the entire tournament.
10. Endrick
Position: Forward
Age: 19 | Club: Lyon (France)
Brazilian football’s most thrilling young talent and the most natural heir to the tradition of great Seleção forwards.
Endrick was born on July 21, 2006, and has already scored 4 goals in 17 international appearances, which is an extraordinary return for someone still in the early stages of their career.
He joined Lyon in the summer of 2025 and has been developing his game in Ligue 1 with the freedom to express himself.
His first touch, awareness, and finishing ability inside the box are all years ahead of his age.
At 19, he will likely be used as a weapon off the bench at this World Cup, but when Ancelotti unleashes him, defenders will have no answer for his energy and instinct.
The world is only just beginning to understand what he will become.
Conclusion
There are still so many amazing soccer players in Brazil, so notable mentions include the likes of Casemiro, Matheus Cunha, Gabriel Martinelli, Bremer, Fabinho, and the bold wildcard pick of 19-year-old Bournemouth forward Rayan.
Check out our guide to every country that has won the World Cup, our breakdown of the best soccer players of all time, and our list of the clubs with the most trophies in football.
Who do you think will be Brazil’s best player at the 2026 World Cup? Let us know in the comments!
