Real Madrid Trio Reportedly Have World Cup Places Guaranteed

An interesting report out of South America.
IMAGO / Visionhaus

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It is now just 103 days until the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins in Mexico. The excitement and anticipation for the biggest event on the planet are beginning to feel incredibly tangible at this point.

Although there is plenty to play for in the meantime, with Real Madrid right in the thick of a La Liga title race and in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, there are plenty of people who really cannot wait for the tournament to begin.

There is plenty of excitement for Los Blancos fans, with several current and former players set to play a big part in the competition. Not just players, too, with Carlo Ancelotti in charge of the Brazil national team.

Real Madrid Trio Heading to the 2026 World Cup

Carlo Ancelotti during a press conference
Carlo Ancelotti after the 2026 World Cup draw | IMAGO / Brazil Photo Press

As you'd expect, there has been much interest in which Real Madrid players he will select for the World Cup and, in general, moving forward.

Well, it looks like all of the Brazilian players at the club are very much in his plans. ESPN Brasil are reporting that all of Eder Militao, Vinicius and Rodrygo have their World Cup plane ticket 100% secured.

Eder Militao, Vinicius and Rodrygo
Eder Militao, Vinicius and Rodrygo before a game at the 2024 Copa America | IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

According to the report, they join Alisson (Liverpool), Gabriel (Arsenal), Marquinhos (PSG), Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Douglas Santos (Zenit), Andrey Santos (Chelsea), Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United), Lucas Paqueta (Flamengo), Estevao (Chelsea), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Joao Pedro (Chelsea), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), and Raphinha (Barcelona).

One more player with his spot secured is Real Madrid legend Casemiro, who has been in every squad under his former Los Blancos manager, after previously not being called up for a number of different squads.

Casemiro and Carlo Ancelotti
Casemiro and Carlo Ancelotti during the 21/22 season | IMAGO / NurPhoto

There are some strong names there, but perhaps some that are more questionable. For example, Luis Henrique of Zenit. It feels harsh that he would have his spot guaranteed over Endrick, although perhaps the on-loan Real Madrid star could be called up as a striker, rather than the right-wing role he has been playing at Lyon.

A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that the teenager would be called up for friendlies against France and Croatia at the end of March, so it feels important for him to impress and give himself the best chance of making the World Cup squad.

As for Militao, Vinicius, and Rodrygo, nothing too unexpected. Having all played under Ancelotti for four years, it felt inevitable. Particularly given their quality, it isn't like the Italian manager would be calling up bit part players just because he had worked with them previously.

Back in November, all three started for Brazil in a 2-0 friendly win over Senegal, which was the African's side only 90-minute defeat since December 2022. In that game, Militao started as a right-back, whilst Rodrygo and Vinicius interchanged off the left-hand side and the number ten role.

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Tom Vinall
TOM VINALL

Tom Vinall is a sports writer covering Real Madrid On SI. Previously, he had worked at FanSided as both a contributor and site expert, covering the likes of Spurs and Bayern Munich. He has also previously written for Transfer News Live. Tom was born and lives in Bristol, South West England, and loves to listen to music as well as learning Spanish.

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