Vinicius Jr, Raphinha, Marquinhos in star-studded Brazilian squad for friendlies against India, Australia | Football News

Five-time world champions Brazil have announced a 26-man squad for the friendly matches against India and Australia. It features big names like Vinicius Jr, Raphinha and Marquinhos.On September 25th, Brazil will face Australians at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville. They will face the hosts again on the 29th, at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Next, the Brazilian national team will play its first ever match against India on October 3rd at 7:30 PM IST at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata."Coach Carlo Ancelotti called up a total of 26 players on Wednesday for Brazil's first matches after the World Cup. Ten of them play in Brazilian football. He released the list at the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation, in Rio, from where he then gave a press conference," said a statement from CBF (Brazil Football Confederation).Recently, Brazil made it to the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026. They have not won the trophy since 2002 and lost to Norway in their pre-quarters clash. Vinicius Jr however had a good World Cup on a personal level. He scored four goals and provided one assist.Brazil coming to India is a matter of jubilation for the majority of fans. However, some are sceptical, like what's the point of inviting a big team now and then when the Indian national team is so bad? They have never been able to qualify for the World Cup and are getting worse every year. The local leagues, particularly the Indian Super League, have often come in for criticism for having failed to take Indian football to the next level as they had promised at the time of their inception 12 years ago. So there are many who view this upcoming friendly as an attempt to distract fans from reality. Indian football is full of dissonance at present. Anyway, here is the Brazilian squad in full.Squad for friendlies against Australia and India:Goalkeepers: Hugo Souza (Corinthians), Pedro Morisco (Coritiba), Otavio (Cruzeiro)Defenders: Arthur Dias (Athletico-PR), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal), Jair (Nottingham Forest), Marquinhos (PSG), Matheuzinho (Corinthians), Mauro Junior (PSV Eindhoven), Vitor Reis (Manchester City), Wesley (Rome)Midfielders: Andrey Santos (Manchester United), Breno Bidon (Corinthians), Bruno Guimarães (Arsenal), Danilo Santos (Botafogo), Douglas Luiz (Juventus), Gabriel Bontempo (Santos)Forwards: Endrick (Real Madrid), Stephen (Chelsea), John Peter (Chelsea), Pedro (Flamengo), Raphinha (Barcelona), Rayan (Bournemouth), Samuel Lino (Flamengo), Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)