New Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti considers Neymar “a very important player” and has urged the injury-prone star “to prepare well” for the 2026 World Cup.

“He must prepare well and he has the time to do that,” the Italian said in an interview with the South American football federation on Thursday.

“He’s a very important player for us regarding the World Cup,” Ancelotti added.

READ ALSO:2025/2026 Carabao Cup First Round Draw Confirmed [Full fixtures]

Neymar, 33, extended his contract with Brazilian side Santos to the end of the year this week.

Neymar’s career has been dogged by injury, and he has only played 12 matches in five months for Santos, scoring three goals.

Brazil’s top scorer with 79 goals was missing from Ancelotti’s first squad at the end of May.

With Neymar absent five-time world champions Brazil qualified for next year’s World Cup with a 1-0 win over Paraguay this month.

AFP

The first round draw for the 2025/26 Carabao Cup was held on Thursday evening, setting up a series of exciting ties across the English Football League (EFL).

Reigning champions Newcastle United, along with other Premier League clubs, were not included in this stage of the competition. Their entry will come in the later rounds.

A standout fixture from the draw sees Coventry City face Luton Town: a repeat of the dramatic 2023 Championship play-off final, reigniting a recent rivalry between the two sides.

Recently relegated Leicester City will begin their Carabao Cup journey with an away trip to Huddersfield Town, while Birmingham City square off against fellow former Premier League side Sheffield United in another high-profile clash.

READ ALSO:Club World Cup 2025: 8 Teams Qualify For Round Of 16

Here is the full draw for the Carabao Cup:

Carabao Cup First Round Draw in Full

Southern Section:

Coventry City vs Luton Town

Bristol City vs MK Dons

Bromley vs Ipswich Town

Bristol Rovers vs Cambridge United

Leyton Orient vs Wycombe Wanderers

Watford vs Norwich City

Charlton Athletic vs Stevenage

Oxford United vs Colchester United

READ ALSO:PSG Beat Reims To Win French Cup Ahead Of Champions League Final

Barnet or Newport County vs Millwall

Cardiff City vs Swindon Town

Gillingham vs AFC Wimbledon

Northampton Town vs Southampton

Cheltenham Town vs Exeter City

Plymouth Argyle vs QPR

Swansea City vs Crawley Town

Portsmouth vs Reading
Northern Section:

Barrow vs Preston North End

Grimsby Town vs Shrewsbury Town

Blackpool vs Port Vale

Salford City vs Rotherham United

Harrogate Town vs Lincoln City

Tranmere Rovers vs Burton Albion

Stockport County vs Crewe Alexandra

READ ALSO:Man City Sink Forest To Reach Third Successive FA Cup Final

Huddersfield Town vs Leicester City

Wrexham vs Hull City

Birmingham City vs Sheffield United

Stoke City vs Walsall

Accrington Stanley/Oldham
Athletic vs Peterborough United

Blackburn Rovers vs Bradford City

Middlesbrough vs Doncaster Rovers

West Bromwich Albion vs Derby County

Bolton Wanderers vs Sheffield Wednesday

Chesterfield vs Mansfield Town

Barnsley vs Fleetwood Town

Wigan Athletic vs Notts County

The ties will be played in early August as clubs look to make an early mark in the domestic cup competition.

Cristiano Ronaldo inked a two-year extension with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, the club announced Thursday, following months of speculation over which team he would sign for next season.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is staying at @AlNassrFC until 2027,” the club wrote in a post on X.

Minutes before the official confirmation, the team posted a teaser video, with the 40-year-old Ronaldo walking along a beachfront and saying: “Al Nassr forever”.

The Portuguese superstar arrived in 2023 in the kingdom to play with the club, heralding a rush of players in the latter stages of their careers to the oil-rich country.

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Last month, Ronaldo posted “This chapter is over” hours after the Saudi Pro League wrapped up with Al Nassr finishing third and trophyless once again.

“Ronaldo’s presence is a key factor in developing the Saudi league in the last two years and a half. He opens the door for elite and young players to come to Saudi Arabia,” a source from the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a major investor in Saudi football, told AFP last month.

The oil-funded PIF, the sovereign wealth fund behind a number of big-ticket Saudi investments, controls a group of Pro League clubs including Al Nassr, Al Hilal and Al Ahli.

Ronaldo’s announcement in May came just months after Brazilian star Neymar ended his injury-plagued 18-month stay in January, after playing just seven times for Al Hilal — on a reported salary of around $104 million a year.

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Although Ronaldo was the Pro League’s top scorer with 25 goals, he has been unable to win a Saudi or continental trophy with Al Nassr, who lost in the Asian Champions League semi-finals last month.

Last year, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner said he could end his career with Al Nassr, the Riyadh team favoured by a number of Saudi royals.

Saudi Arabia has shaken up football by spending heavily on stars from Europe, starting with Ronaldo’s move, and the desert nation will host the World Cup in 2034.

AFP