Ancelotti Shrugs Off Neymar Chants After Brazil Lose to France

Carlo Ancelotti during Brazil's defeat to France 

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti plays down Neymar chants after 2-1 loss to France, focuses on squad's potential ahead of World Cup.

“Right now we have to talk about those who ‌are here, who played, who gave everything...”

Carlo Ancelotti played down fans' chants for Neymar, who wasn't selected for the squad, after Brazil's 2-1 defeat to France in a warm-up game in Boston on Thursday.

Ancelotti said the focus should remain on the players involved, shrugging off the chants for the absent superstar.

Neymar was left out after missing a recent Santos FC match with muscle fatigue - a game Ancelotti had planned to watch in person as part of his assessment ahead of naming the squad.

“Right now we have to talk about those who ‌are here, who played, who gave everything, ⁠who showed character, who ‌worked very hard. And I am satisfied,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“I think Raphinha played very well. He had some muscle discomfort at the end of the first half and we had to substitute him, but he had many opportunities and very good movement ⁠off the ball,” he said.

FIM DE JOGO EM BOSTON!

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Bremer ⚽️

A Seleção Brasileira entra em campo na próxima terça (31), contra a Croácia, às 21h (Brasília). pic.twitter.com/0j0CrhIcDl

— brasil (@CBF_Futebol) March 26, 2026

“And Vini (Vinicius Jr.) always tries; he always makes the difference. A striker cannot always score, but the work done by both of them was good,” he added.

Neymar, Brazil's all-time leading scorer with .79 goals, has not played for the national team since suffering a serious knee injury in October 2023 and has struggled to maintain a consistent run of matches since returning to Santos last year.

Ancelotti has repeatedly said the forward will be considered if he is fully fit.

Despite the defeat and Neymar's absence, the Italian said the performance reinforced his belief in the squad's potential.

“I think today's game makes it very clear to me ‌that we can compete with the best teams in the world. I have no doubt about that,” Ancelotti said.

Brazil will next face Croatia on March 31st in Orlando ahead of the June 11th to July 19th World Cup in North America.