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Brazil squad for India football friendly 2026: Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Endrick set for Kolkata
The five-time world champions will face India for the first time at senior level at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 3.Picture by 2026 Getty Images
By Ali Asgar Nalwala10 September 2026 00:22 GMT+5:303 min read
Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti named a 26-member squad featuring Vinicius Junior, Raphinha and Endrick for the international football friendly against India in Kolkata on October 3.
The five-time FIFA World Cup champions will take on the Indian football team at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in what will be the first-ever meeting between the two countries at senior men's international level.
Brazil are fifth in the latest FIFA men's world rankings, while India are 138th.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior and Barcelona's Raphinha headline an exciting Brazilian attack that also includes Real Madrid youngster Endrick.
Chelsea duo Estevao and Joao Pedro, Bournemouth forward Rayan and Flamengo pair Pedro and Samuel Lino have also been called up by Ancelotti.
New Arsenal signing Bruno Guimaraes is among the midfielders selected. The former Newcastle United captain completed his move to the reigning Premier League champions in August.
Andrey Santos, Douglas Luiz, Danilo Santos, Breno Bidon and Gabriel Bontempo complete Brazil's midfield options. Douglas Luiz returned to Juventus following his loan spell at Aston Villa and is part of the Italian club's squad for the 2026-27 season.
At the back, Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes and Paris Saint-Germain's Marquinhos provide experience, while Manchester City's Vitor Reis, Nottingham Forest's Jair, Roma's Wesley and PSV's Mauro Junior are also included.
Ancelotti's first squad since the FIFA World Cup 2026 represents a significant overhaul, with only nine players from Brazil's 26-member World Cup squad retained - Douglas Santos, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marquinhos, Danilo Santos, Bruno Guimaraes, Endrick, Raphinha, Rayan and Vinicius Junior.
Neymar retired from international football following the World Cup. At the same time, Casemiro, Alisson, Ederson, Danilo and Weverton are among the other experienced names absent from Ancelotti's latest selection.
Brazil will first play Australia twice, in Townsville on September 25 and Brisbane on September 29, before travelling to Kolkata for the India friendly four days later.
India head coach Khalid Jamil has already named a 26-member squad for the friendlies against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay, with Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Anwar Ali, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad and Manvir Singh among the players selected.
