Chelsea forward Estevao is set to miss the FIFA World Cup 2026 after reportedly being excluded from Brazil’s 55-man preliminary squad for the tournament.
According to ESPN, the teenager failed to make the expanded squad submitted by the Brazil football team ahead of the World Cup in North America.
Estevao’s participation in the tournament had been under serious doubt after suffering a muscle injury in his right thigh during Chelsea’s 1-0 Premier League defeat against Manchester United on April 18.
Reports suggest there was initial optimism that the 19-year-old could recover in time for what would have been his first World Cup appearance.
However, medical staff from both Chelsea and Brazil were reportedly unable to guarantee the winger’s full recovery before the tournament.
Sources further claimed the player himself had accepted that his World Cup hopes were fading and appeared visibly disappointed when he recently arrived at former club Palmeiras for treatment.
Despite Estevao’s omission, veteran forward Neymar was included in Brazil’s preliminary squad as he continues his push for a fourth World Cup appearance.
The 34-year-old, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 international goals, had previously been left out of every squad named by head coach Carlo Ancelotti since the Italian took charge in June.
Teams participating in the FIFA World Cup were required to submit preliminary 55-player squads by Monday, with final 26-man squads to be selected from those lists closer to the tournament.
Before suffering the injury, Estevao had been widely considered a certain selection for Brazil, particularly with Ancelotti reportedly a strong admirer of the youngster.
The highly rated attacker joined Chelsea from Palmeiras last summer in a deal worth £29 million and has scored eight goals in 36 appearances across all competitions since arriving in England.
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