Endrick disagrees with Vinicius over Brazil’s 2026 FIFA World Cup chances

Brazil will face two friendlies during the March FIFA break, against France and Croatia, as final preparation for the 2026 World Cup. Regarding the national team’s chances in that tournament, Endrick and Vinicius took opposing positions.

“We are not the favorites based on the results we’ve had,” Vinicius said this week about Brazil’s chances of competing for the title in North America in 2026, citing the performances the team has shown in recent years, especially before Carlo Ancelotti took over as coach in mid-2025.

“Brazil is never a surprise among the favorites,” Endrick said, according to Diario AS, ahead of Thursday’s friendly against France. “The surprise would be a World Cup without Brazil in the final stages. I can’t think any other way.”

The forward then reiterated his optimism: “In Brazil, we can’t think of anything other than the title. Even with the poor results in recent World Cups, everyone expects to see Brazil reach the final stages as a favorite. There are many players in the best clubs in the world. Being part of a group that is seen this way is an honor.”

Endrick seeks his first World Cup

At just 19 years old, Endrick has already had a significant journey as a professional player. After starting with Palmeiras, he had the chance to play for Real Madrid for a season and a half, but limited opportunities led him to go on loan this year to Olympique Lyon.

There, the forward found good form, scoring 6 goals and providing 5 assists in 14 matches for the French side. His performances caught Carlo Ancelotti’s attention, who decided to call him up for the first time since taking over as coach for the March international break.

Now Endrick will have these days with the national team—possibly playing minutes in at least one of the two friendlies—and two months of competition with Lyon to convince Ancelotti that he deserves a place at the 2026 World Cup.

How have Brazil fared in recent World Cups?

Despite his optimism, Endrick acknowledged that Brazil’s recent performances have not been satisfactory. Since their last World Cup title in South Korea–Japan 2002, the South American giants have not returned to a final.

Their best performance since then was in the 2014 tournament they hosted, when they reached the semifinals—where they lost 7-1 to Germany—and then fell to the Netherlands in the third-place match. In all other editions from 2006 to 2022, Brazil were eliminated in the quarterfinals.