Newcastle’s Brazilian midfielder has seen his World Cup hopes take a hit
07:58, 04 Nov 2025
Brazil’s midfielder Joelinton (C) shoots (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Joelinton’s form has been a concern for Newcastle United this season and it has now put his World Cup place in jeopardy.
The Brazilian international has struggled to hit the heights of previous seasons under Eddie Howe as the Magpies’ inconsistent performances have seen them advance in the cup competitions but fail to set the Premier League alight.
Joelinton played in several positions on Sunday as Newcastle were terrible in defeat at West Ham. The midfielder ended up on the left wing in the second half, playing the full 90 minutes despite an underwhelming display.
The 29-year-old’s place is coming under increasing threat, and boss Eddie Howe has a selection dilemma to make ahead of the Champions League clash against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night. Fellow midfielders Joe Willock, Jacob Ramsey and Lewis Miley are all pushing for a start at St James’ Park.
And Joelinton has received a blow this morning with the news that he has been axed by Brazil for their upcoming games in the November international break.
Samba boss Carlo Ancelotti has named a 26-man squad for the side’s last two international friendlies of the year. While Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes was included, Joelinton was left out of the squad.
Brazil will play Senegal in London on November 15 and three days later, Tunisia in Lille, France. That’s a sharp contrast to the gruelling trip last month for friendly matches in the Far East against South Korea and Japan.
Joelinton was part of that squad, along with Guimaraes, as the duo were forced to take another flight after an emergency landing for a cracked window on their original plane. When they eventually arrived, Joelinton was an unused substitute in the 5-0 win over South Korea before coming off the bench in the shock 3-2 defeat against Japan.
That was his eighth cap, but with the World Cup less than 10 months away, dropping out of the squad at this stage is not a good look for Joelinton. Guimaraes is included alongside fellow midfielders Lucas Paqueta, who was excellent against Newcastle on Sunday while scoring for West Ham, Casemiro of Manchester United and Andrey Santos, of Chelsea.
Guimaraes was poor in the 3-1 defeat at the London Stadium but is one of the first names on Ancelotti’s teamsheet. The Newcastle skipper has scored three goals and assisted two in nine Premier League appearances so far this season.
Ancelotti has sprung a few surprises with Palmeiras striker Vitor Roque, who failed to impress at Barcelona this year, making the squad. However, there is no place for the national side’s all-time top goalscorer Neymar.
Neymar is still yet to feature for Brazil since returning from his anterior cruciate ligament njury, having continued to struggle with fitness issues. He recently spent nearly seven weeks sidelined with a muscular problem before returning for Santos last weekend.
“I haven’t spoken to Neymar again,” Ancelotti said. “We’ll see when he can recover and play again.”
Brazil’s squad in full
Goalkeepers: Bento (Al-Nassr), Ederson (Fenerbahçe), Hugo Souza (Corinthians)
Defenders: Alex Sandro (Flamengo), Danilo (Flamengo), Caio Henrique (Monaco), Militão (Real Madrid), Fabrício Bruno (Cruzeiro), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Luciano Juba (Bahia), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Paulo Henrique (Vasco da Gama), Wesley (Roma)
Midfielders: Andrey Santos (Chelsea), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Casemiro (Manchester United), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Lucas Paquetá (West Ham)
Forwards: Estevão (Chelsea), João Pedro (Chelsea), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Matheus Cunha (Manchester United), Richarlison (Tottenham), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vini Jr. (Real Madrid), Vitor Roque (Palmeiras)
