SOME of football’s most talented superstars are set to go up against each other THIS MONTH at the Qatar World Cup – but that’s if they are selected.
Winter’s blockbuster event is edging closer with the opener scheduled to get underway on Sunday, November 20.
But all eyes will be on the managers beforehand as they rack their brains to select their squads for the huge tournament in Qatar.
Japanese head coach Hajime Moriyasu wasted no time by becoming the first manager to name his full team.
And Brazilian boss Tite has followed suit but his selection has raised a lot of eyebrows.
Find out more info on the World Cup squads below…
When is the deadline for the World Cup squads?
Managers had until Friday, October 21 to submit their 55-player release list to FIFA.
However, FIFA have given managers up until Monday, November 14 to decide on their final 26-player squad.
And once confirmed, each final listing will be made public before the World Cup begins.
Given the possibility of Covid-19 or injuries, each team is able to replace affected players up to 24 hours before their first encounter but they have to be selected from the initial 55-man list.
What are the confirmed World Cup squads?
Brazil
Arsenal’s attacking duo Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli were both selected for the Brazilian squad.
However, their defensive teammate Gabriel Magalhaes has been left out and so has Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino.
But the biggest surprise of all is there has been no place for Champions League winner and Real Madrid star, Vinicius Jr.
Goalkeepers: Alisson, Ederson, Weverton
Defenders: Bremer, Eder Militao, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Alex Sandro, Alex Telles, Danilo, Dani Alves
Midfielders: Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro, Everton Ribeiro, Fabinho, Fred, Lucas Paqueta
Forwards: Antony, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Neymar, Raphinha, Richarlison.
Japan
Arsenal ace Takehiro Tomiyasu has been selected while Celtic stars Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate failed to make the cut.
Goalkeepers: Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt, Eiji Kawashima.
Defenders: Miki Yamane, Hiroki Sakai, Maya Yoshida, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Shogo Taniguchi, Ko Itakura, Hiroki Ito, Yuto Nagatomo, Yuta Nakayama.
Midfielders: Wataru Endo, Hidemasa Morita, Ao Tanaka, Gaku Shibasaki, Kaoru Mitoma, Daichi Kamada, Ritsu Doan, Junya Ito, Takumi Minamino, Takefusa Kubo, Yuki Soma.
