Brazil will be chasing their first World Cup triumph in two decades when they take to the field in Qatar.
The South American giants go into the 2022 tournament as the top-ranked team in the world.
Tite’s side have won seven straight matches heading into the tournament, and haven’t lost any of their past 15 games.
Brazil have won five previous World Cups and will boast a star-studded squad as they once again go searching for a sixth.
MORE: Complete World Cup schedule | Who has won the most World Cups?
Projected Brazil World Cup squad 2022
Manager Tite had until Friday, October 21 to submit an official preliminary list of 35-55 players to FIFA, from which he will select his final 26-man roster for Qatar by Monday, November 14. Reports in Brazil indicated that clubs will formally be alerted on October 30.
Based on World Cup qualifying squads and friendly rosters over the past year, these are the names most likely to be on Brazil’s preliminary list.
MORE: Everything you need to know about Brazil’s World Cup group
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Alisson | Liverpool (ENG) | 30 | 56 |
| Goalkeeper | Ederson | Manchester City (ENG) | 29 | 18 |
| Goalkeeper | Weverton | Palmeiras (BRA) | 34 | 11 |
| Goalkeeper | Santos | Flamengo (BRA) | 32 | 0 |
| Defender | Marquinhos | PSG (FRA) | 28 | 70 |
| Defender | Eder Militao | Real Madrid (SPA) | 24 | 23 |
| Defender | Thiago Silva | Chelsea (ENG) | 38 | 108 |
| Defender | Danilo | Juventus (ITA) | 31 | 45 |
| Defender | Alex Telles | Sevilla (SPA) | 29 | 7 |
| Defender | Bremer | Juventus (ITA) | 25 | 1 |
| Defender | Renan Lodi | Nottingham Forest (ENG) | 24 | 15 |
| Defender | Alex Sandro | Juventus (ITA) | 31 | 37 |
| Defender | Emerson | Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) | 23 | 7 |
| Defender | Gabriel | Arsenal (ENG) | 24 | 0 |
| Midfielder | Fabinho | Liverpool (ENG) | 28 | 28 |
| Midfielder | Casemiro | Manchester United (ENG) | 30 | 64 |
| Midfielder | Bruno Guimaraes | Newcastle United (ENG) | 24 | 8 |
| Midfielder | Fred | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 27 |
| Midfielder | Lucas Paqueta | West Ham (ENG) | 25 | 34 |
| Midfielder | Everton Ribeiro | Flamengo (BRA) | 33 | 22 |
| Midfielder | Philippe Coutinho | Aston Villa (ENG) | 30 | 68 |
| Midfielder | Gerson | Marseille (FRA) | 25 | 4 |
| Forward | Vinicius Jr. | Real Madrid (SPA) | 22 | 15 |
| Forward | Neymar | PSG (FRA) | 30 | 120 |
| Forward | Antony | Manchester United (ENG) | 22 | 10 |
| Forward | Rodrygo | Real Madrid (SPA) | 21 | 6 |
| Forward | Raphinha | Barcelona (SPA) | 25 | 10 |
| Forward | Richarlison | Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) | 25 | 37 |
| Forward | Roberto Firmino | Liverpool (ENG) | 31 | 55 |
| Forward | Matheus Cunha | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 23 | 8 |
| Forward | Pedro | Flamengo (BRA) | 25 | 1 |
| Forward | Gabriel Jesus | Arsenal (ENG) | 25 | 56 |
| Forward | Gabriel Martinelli | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 3 |
| Forward | Gabriel Barbosa | Flamengo (BRA) | 26 | 18 |
| Forward | Luis Henrique | Real Betis (SPA) | 21 | 0 |
Final 26-man Brazil World Cup roster
With no other friendly matches on tap before Tite names his final 26-man squad — reports indicate that it’s tentatively slated to be revealed on Monday, November 7 — club form will therefore prove key for players hoping to secure their spot in Qatar.
Here’s a projected look at a plausible 26-man list, assuming all players are fit and ready.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Alisson | Liverpool (ENG) | 30 | 56 |
| Goalkeeper | Ederson | Manchester City (ENG) | 29 | 18 |
| Goalkeeper | Weverton | Palmeiras (BRA) | 34 | 11 |
| Defender | Marquinhos | PSG (FRA) | 28 | 70 |
| Defender | Eder Militao | Real Madrid (SPA) | 24 | 23 |
| Defender | Thiago Silva | Chelsea (ENG) | 38 | 108 |
| Defender | Danilo | Juventus (ITA) | 31 | 45 |
| Defender | Alex Telles | Sevilla (SPA) | 29 | 7 |
| Defender | Renan Lodi | Nottingham Forest (ENG) | 24 | 15 |
| Defender | Alex Sandro | Juventus (ITA) | 31 | 37 |
| Defender | Gabriel | Arsenal (ENG) | 24 | 0 |
| Midfielder | Fabinho | Liverpool (ENG) | 28 | 28 |
| Midfielder | Casemiro | Manchester United (ENG) | 30 | 64 |
| Midfielder | Bruno Guimaraes | Newcastle United (ENG) | 24 | 8 |
| Midfielder | Fred | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 27 |
| Midfielder | Lucas Paqueta | West Ham (ENG) | 25 | 34 |
| Midfielder | Everton Ribeiro | Flamengo (BRA) | 33 | 22 |
| Midfielder | Philippe Coutinho | Aston Villa (ENG) | 30 | 68 |
| Forward | Vinicius Jr. | Real Madrid (SPA) | 22 | 15 |
| Forward | Neymar | PSG (FRA) | 30 | 120 |
| Forward | Antony | Manchester United (ENG) | 22 | 10 |
| Forward | Rodrygo | Real Madrid (SPA) | 21 | 6 |
| Forward | Raphinha | Barcelona (SPA) | 25 | 10 |
| Forward | Richarlison | Tottenham (ENG) | 25 | 37 |
| Forward | Roberto Firmino | Liverpool (ENG) | 31 | 55 |
| Forward | Gabriel Jesus | Arsenal (ENG) | 25 | 56 |
Brazil national team stars, strengths & weaknesses
Currently on a seven-game winning run, Brazil have found form at the perfect time heading into the 2022 World Cup.
They are among the leading contenders to win the tournament, and expectations will be sky high back at home.
Stars
Big names don’t get much bigger than Neymar and the PSG attacker will head into the World Cup injury-free and in fine form at club level.
This current Brazil team also aren’t short of Premier League stars with the likes of Roberto Firmino, Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison all looking ready to light up in Qatar — assuming they are fit and ready. A recent Richarlison injury will not keep him out of Qatar, but it has been suggested that Philippe Coutinho may not be selected due to poor form for Aston Villa.
Strengths
A key element of any successful Brazilian side is the attack and they won’t be lacking in this area for the 2022 World Cup.
Tite has his star-studded side playing some great attacking football and they’ve scored three or more goals in six of their last seven matches leading up to the tournament. Those strikes have been shared around too, with no single player carrying Brazil in the final third.
Weaknesses
As with most attack-minded teams, defence inevitably becomes an area of concern and this is the case for Brazil. A lack of pace in their backline leaves them vulnerable to counter-attacks, particularly when their full-backs are caught out of position.
Another cause for concern is their recent World Cup record, with Brazil knocked out in the quarter-finals in 2018 and infamously beaten 7-1 by Germany in the 2014 semi-finals. Those results could see doubt once again creep in as they chase redemption in Qatar.
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 8, 2021
Brazil World Cup group
Brazil have been drawn in Group G alongside Switzerland, Cameroon and Serbia.
The Selecao have only ever failed to escape a World Cup group twice (1930 and 1966) and will be strong contenders to top Group G in 2022.
Should they do that, they’d face the runner-up from Group H, which contains Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea, in the Round of 16.
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Thurs, Nov. 24 | Switzerland vs. Cameroon | 5 a.m. | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Thurs, Nov. 24 | Brazil vs. Serbia | 2 p.m. | Lusail Stadium |
| Mon, Nov. 28 | Cameroon vs. Serbia | 5 a.m. | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Mon, Nov. 28 | Brazil vs. Switzerland | 11 a.m. | Stadium 974 |
| Fri, Dec. 2 | Cameroon vs. Brazil | 2 p.m. | Lusail Stadium |
| Fri, Dec. 2 | Serbia vs. Switzerland | 2 p.m. | Stadium 974 |
Brazil vs. Serbia squad, lineup
Tite will be wanting Brazil to make a statement in their opening match against Serbia and will look to field their strongest team.
With so much talent to choose from, the starting side has varied over the past few years with few positions nailed down. Brazil have also shifted between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 formations in recent times.
Brazil projected starting XI vs. Serbia (4-3-3)
GK: Alisson
DFs: Danilo — Marquinhos — Thiago Silva — Alex Telles
MFs: Lucas Paqueta — Casemiro — Neymar
FWs: Raphinha — Richarlison — Vinicius Junior
Can Brazil replace players on World Cup roster?
Once the final 26-man roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup can only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules, “a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team’s first match.”
The team in question would need to submit a medical report to FIFA and if the world governing body determines “the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent the player from taking part in the FIFA World Cup” then the replacement will be allowed.
The replacement player must come from the preliminary list of players submitted to FIFA in October.
