No club side are better represented than Chelsea in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad for the September 2025 international window, when they face Chile and Bolivia in their final two CONMEBOL qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 26™. The Chelsea players to receive call-ups are midfielder Andrey Santos and forwards Estevao and Joao Pedro, and their performances at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ will have no doubt helped their cases.
The Blues lifted the trophy at FIFA’s inaugural edition of the global club tournament after beating French champions Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final. Andrey Santos and Joao Pedro were both part of the winning squad in the United States, with the latter making his debut for the club in the quarter-final and going on to score three times in as many matches.
Estevao – who scored a well-taken goal for Palmeiras against Chelsea in the quarter-final – did not pick up a winner’s medal because he only joined the club after the tournament, but he put on some impressive displays for the side from Sao Paulo.
Bebeto has already compared the young attacker to Ronaldo and, despite still only being 18 years old, has arrived in London to a lot of excitement. His Chelsea career has started well with a goal in a friendly clash with Bayer Leverkusen and an assist in their English top-flight victory over West Ham United. By setting up Enzo Fernandez’s strike against the Hammers, he became the youngest Blues player to provide an assist in the Premier League.
Brazilian fans will inevitably be expecting big things from Estevao when they begin their quest for a sixth World Cup triumph in 2026, as he is seen as one of the country’s most exciting prospects of recent generations.
What makes this Chelsea trio particularly exciting is their age. Joao Pedro is the oldest of the three players at 23 , while Andrey Santos is only 21 and Estevao is barely 18. This is also the first time that the three players have all been called up to the Brazil squad together.
Santos (a Strasbourg player at the time) and Estevao (still playing for Palmeiras) made the squad for Brazil’s qualifiers in June 2025, but Joao Pedro (before he joined Chelsea) missed out on that occasion.
These September fixtures could give the three Chelsea players the chance to wear the famous Amarelinha shirt together, and to display the chemistry they are starting to form as club team-mates.
Strong Premier League influence
Aside from the Chelsea contingent, a large portion of Ancelotti’s squad for the upcoming fixtures play their club football in the Premier League. This is especially true in midfield, where all the players called up are currently plying their trade in England.
In fact, of the 25 players in the squad, 12 of them currently play in the Premier League. The Brasileirao and France’s Ligue 1 share second place for representation in this Brazil squad, each having four players, with the quartert making the journey from France all being defenders. The name that most catches the eye from those playing their club football in Brazil is Kaio Jorge, who currently leads the way in the 2025 Serie A goalscoring chart.
After announcing the squad for September’s qualifiers, Ancelotti said: “In our next friendlies in October, November and March, our aim is to get to know the players better and, thankfully, Brazil has a lot of good players all around the world – in Brazil, in Europe, in Saudi Arabia, in Russia. Cutting down that list will not be easy, but we have ten months to come up with a final list for the World Cup.”
League representation in the Brazil squad
England (12 players)
Alisson (Liverpool), Andrey Santos, Estevao and Joao Pedro (Chelsea); Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton (Newcastle United), Casemiro and Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham United), Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur).
Brazil (4 players)
Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Fabricio Bruno and Kaio Jorge (Cruzeiro), Hugo Souza (Corinthians).
France (4 players)
Alexsandro Ribeiro (Lille), Caio Henrique and Vanderson (Monaco), Marquinhos (PSG).
Russia (2 players)
Douglas Santos and Luiz Henrique (Zenit).
Saudi Arabia (1 player)
Bento (Al Nassr).
Spain (1 player)
Raphinha (Barcelona).
Italy (1 player)
Wesley (Roma).
