Chelsea striker João Pedro has been reinstated to the Brazilian national team after missing out on the World Cup, but Cunha was left out of the squad, which seems to be a positive for Manchester United.
One of the most controversial decisions made by Brazilian coach Carlo Ancelotti at this summer's North American World Cup was omitting João Pedro from the squad. Brazil was shockingly eliminated in the round of 16 by Erling Haaland's Norway.
Despite his impressive first season at Chelsea, where he scored 20 goals and provided 9 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions and won the club's Player of the Season award, the former Watford and Brighton striker was not selected.
Ancelotti then opted to bring Neymar back, the Brazilian all-time top scorer who had missed playing time for the national team since October 2023 due to a serious knee injury.
This controversial decision did not work, Neymar was once again plagued by injury, and the Brazilian team suffered their earliest exit from the World Cup since 1990.
Neymar subsequently confirmed his retirement from the national team, having scored 80 goals in 130 international appearances.
Brazil will play two friendly matches in Australia later this month, their first appearance since the World Cup, before traveling to Kolkata to face India.
When Ancelotti announced the 26-man squad, João Pedro's return was the biggest focus. The 24-year-old striker has had an excellent start to the new season, already scoring two goals, and he forms a formidable attacking line with Palmer and Chelsea's record signing Morgan Rodgers.
However, the omission of another striker, Cunha, was surprising. He participated in the World Cup, scoring 3 goals in the group stage, and has started all 3 Premier League matches for Manchester United this season.
Cunha's Manchester United teammate, Andre Santos, has also been reinstated. He also missed the World Cup and has only made one start for his new club since joining Manchester United from Chelsea for £50 million this summer.
Chelsea's Esteban has also returned to the squad after missing the World Cup due to a hamstring injury. Guimarães has also recovered from injury and was selected alongside his Arsenal teammate Gabriel, who had previously been troubled by a groin problem.
However, neither Gabriel Martinelli nor Liverpool's Alisson Becker were selected, and the goalkeeper position saw a major overhaul, with Hugo Sosa, Pedro Morisco, and Otavio all being called up.
Experienced players such as Casemiro and Fabinho were also left out of the squad, as was Brentford striker Igor Thiago.
