With the World Cup starting in just 30 days—Mexico and South Africa will kick off the tournament—Brazil is set to make its debut on June 13 against Morocco. In the little over a month remaining for preparation, Carlo Ancelotti continues to grapple with a recurring issue in the Brazilian national team cycle: the physical condition of his key players.
Unable to count on Éder Militão, who is out of the World Cup due to injury, and Estêvão, who is also injured and unlikely to make the squad, the ideal lineup envisioned by the coach enters the decisive period surrounded by medical alerts, accumulated minutes, and recent injury histories.
The following analysis considers numbers from the 2025/26 season up to last Friday (May 8), based on what is considered the ideal starting XI: Alisson; Ibañez (Danilo), Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhães, and Alex Sandro; Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães; Matheus Cunha, Raphinha, Luiz Henrique, and Vinicius Jr.
Among the starters, the biggest concerns revolve around Alisson, Raphinha, and Alex Sandro. The goalkeeper was sidelined for 112 days due to physical issues during the 2025/26 season, while the left-back missed 64 days. The most delicate case is Raphinha, who accumulated 114 days out of action, resulting in the fewest minutes among the starters: only 2,256 minutes on the field. That figure is even lower than Danilo, a reserve at Flamengo, who played 2,458 minutes this season. Marquinhos rounds out the trio of those with the least playing time, with 2,833 minutes.
Despite also facing physical problems and losing 53 days of the season, Gabriel Magalhães arrives in strong form. The center-back is the second most-used player among Ancelotti’s starters, with 50 matches and 4,109 minutes played, trailing only Vinicius Jr.
The Real Madrid forward remains the team’s primary technical and physical reference: 56 games, 4,464 minutes, 22 goals, and 12 assists. On his own, Vinicius provided the same number of assists as Luiz Henrique and Raphinha combined. His physical stability is also noteworthy—he, Casemiro, and Ibañez were the only starters who did not suffer any injuries throughout the season. Ibañez, the likely replacement for Militão, arrives with high minutes: 46 matches and 4,067 minutes on the field, making him the third most-used player among the ideal lineup.
In midfield, Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães maintain the balance Ancelotti envisions, but their offensive numbers show involvement beyond marking. Both scored ten goals this season, more than Matheus Cunha, who found the net nine times. Bruno also contributed nine assists, reinforcing the sector’s attacking weight even without a fixed No. 9.
Individual numbers also help explain the squad’s dynamics. Marquinhos is the only starter yet to provide an assist this season, while Alex Sandro is the only one who hasn’t scored. Matheus Cunha emerges as a hybrid piece, alternating between playmaking, infiltration, and defensive recovery on the left side—a trait valued by Ancelotti in the new team design.
Overall, including Danilo’s numbers as an option, Ancelotti’s starting XI has scored 85 goals and provided 47 assists this season, averaging 3,200 minutes played per player, which equates to about 35 full matches.
Preparations for the World Cup begin on May 25, when the selected players report to Granja Comary in Teresópolis for training. On May 31, the team will play a farewell match against Panama at Maracanã. After the friendly, the squad will depart for the United States, where they will play one more warm-up match.
