Wendell is part of Brazil’s squad list for the games that mark the debut of coach Dorival Júnior. The FC Porto left-back was called up for friendly matches against England (March 23, at Wembley) and Spain (March 26, in Madrid), which is the second time in his career (he was called up once in 2016, but did not debut).
As for Pepê, who had been called up for two qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup in November, he was now left out, as was Evanilson, who also had hopes of being called up.
Wendell will fight for the starting spot with Ayrton Silva, Flamengo’s left-back, and Danilo, from Juventus, called up as right-back, can also line up on the left. Yan Couto, who previously played for Braga and now represents Girona, is the other right-back on the list.
Here are the players called up by Dorival Júnior:
Goalkeepers: Ederson (Manchester City), Bento (Atlético Paranaense), Rafael (São Paulo)
Full-backs: Danilo (Juventus), Yan Couto (Girona), Ayrton Lucas (Flamengo), Wendell (FC Porto)
Central: Beraldo (PSG), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Marquinhos (PSG), Murilo (Palmeiras)
Midfielders: André (Fluminense), Andreas Pereira (Fulham), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Casemiro (Manchester United), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), João Gomes (Wolverhampton), Lucas Paquetá (West Ham), Pablo Maia (São Paulo )
Forwards: Endrick (Palmeiras), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Raphinha (Barcelona), Richarlison (Tottenham), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Savinho (Girona) and Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)
