Porto Alegre is the next stop in Brazil’s long build towards the 2027 World Cup, with Argentina arriving at Beira-Rio for a Saturday friendly at 16:30. Brazil have named 28 players for the occasion, but Marta — the country’s most recognisable No. 10 — has been left out as Arthur Elias manages both her recovery and the team’s future shape.
The news from the club
The omission is not a retirement signal or a disciplinary matter. Brazil’s coaching staff are giving Marta time to regain full physical condition after an unsettled period following injury.
The forward suffered muscle swelling in the back of her thigh in June. Her minutes were subsequently restricted during Brazil’s friendlies against the United States, when she was last included in the squad. On 31 July, playing for Orlando Pride against North Carolina Courage, she then took a blow to the head and entered concussion protocol.
Marta was listed as an excused absence until early September, returning as a substitute against Houston Dash. Since that return, she has played four matches and started only one of them.
Elias sees the break as part of an individual programme intended to ensure that Brazil can call on Marta only when she is in the right condition. The coach has applied a similar principle during this international window with Ary Borges, describing the approach as giving players a “breather”.
Marta will turn 41 in February 2027, shortly before the World Cup on home soil. Elias has made clear that her place at that tournament will depend on how she prepares and whether she can arrive in suitable form.
There is also a wider squad consideration behind her absence. Brazil want other players to take on more responsibility, leadership and attacking prominence as the group develops beyond an era so closely associated with Marta, whose record includes six World Cups and six Olympic Games.
Beira-Rio now, Japan later
The match against Argentina takes place at Internacional’s Beira-Rio stadium and can be watched live in Brazil on Globo, SporTV and getv.
For Brazil, it is another stage of the final preparations for the Argentina meeting rather than a one-off occasion. The next FIFA window falls across November and December, when the Seleção are due to travel to Asia for two matches against Japan.
That trip could offer Marta a route back into the international picture, provided her club recovery and match fitness continue in the desired direction.
