Brazil and Argentina Both Face Life After Neymar and Messi

There's a question hanging over the fields of Brazil and Argentina ever since the World Cup ended: who wears the number 10 shirt now? It's no small detail in this part of the world, where that number has always carried more weight than any other. With the World Cup cycle closed and a new one ahead, South America's two great powers are starting a similar process at the same time: learning to play without their last absolute superstars.

Before getting into that, it's not even clear yet what the calendar looks like for the coming years. There's a Copa America scheduled for 2028, though the host still hasn't been decided (the United States looks like the frontrunner). For qualifying toward the 2030 World Cup, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay already qualified as hosts, there's talk of something like a Nations League format involving all ten countries, with a trophy on the line to keep things competitive. None of that has been finalized yet.

Brazil, without Neymar and with a midfield still to build

Brazil's situation has come with more noise. After another frustrating elimination at the 2026 World Cup (this time they didn't even make the quarterfinals, falling to Norway), Carlo Ancelotti stayed on as coach, but named a fairly different squad for the upcoming matches: two friendlies against Australia and one against India. Everything points to the end of the Neymar era. Some in Brazil still hold out hope of seeing him again, but the Italian coach no longer seems to be counting on him.

Ancelotti took full responsibility for the loss to Norway and admitted that Neymar's second-half introduction had thrown the team off balance. He didn't want to single out any player, but he left no doubt: Neymar is no longer part of the plans.

So who takes on that responsibility now? The most obvious option is Joao Pedro, of Chelsea, the same player who lost his spot when Neymar returned to the World Cup squad. Ancelotti brought him straight back for these matches, but an injury will keep him out until the next international window, from November 9 to 17.

Brazilian media even raised the question of whether the players' own insistence on calling up Neymar was, deep down, a way of hiding behind his prestige rather than stepping up themselves to lead the attack. True or not, that option no longer exists. Vinicius Junior, after a strong individual World Cup, looks ready for the challenge. Raphinha is a different story: he got injured during the tournament and, in the time he did play, showed nowhere near the spark he's been flashing for Barcelona at the start of La Liga. But the real problem, according to Ancelotti himself, isn't so much in attack as it is in midfield. Even when Brazil dominated the match against Norway, they had less possession, something the coach attributes directly to the characteristics of the players available in that area. He's satisfied with what he has at the back and up front; what he needs to build is a midfield capable of controlling the game.

That's where new names come in: Gabriel Bontempo (Santos), the left footed Breno Bidon (Corinthians) and the newly called up Martinelli, from Fluminense (no relation to the former Arsenal player). Andrey Santos and Douglas Luiz will battle for the holding midfield role once held by Casemiro, while these younger players try to make a name for themselves alongside World Cup survivors Bruno Guimaraes and Danilo Santos. If Ancelotti can find that balance, he believes everything else will fall into place.

Argentina bids farewell to Messi in Buenos Aires

If Neymar always sparked debate in Brazil, Messi was pure consensus for Argentina throughout these golden years. But the end has come for him too: he'll play his final match against Benin in Buenos Aires on October 6, in what promises to be an emotional night. Still, in the long run, the two matches before that in Cordoba, against Bolivia and Burkina Faso, carry more weight, because that's where the uncomfortable question really begins: what will Argentina do without Messi?

Soccer history doesn't offer much comfort here. Brazil struggled for decades after Pele, and Argentina had a hard time finding its footing again after Maradona retired. Can this national team handle the transition better?

Lionel Scaloni, with a few tweaks, called up essentially the same squad that went to the World Cup. It's partly a farewell tour (even for Scaloni himself, whose contract runs out at the end of the year), but it also works as a controlled experiment: the new number 10 will be able to settle in surrounded by the same familiar structure. This wouldn't be the first time Argentina has played without Messi: over the last qualifying campaign, out of 18 matches, he started just 10. In those absences, the player who usually filled that space with talent, stamina and versatility was Julian Alvarez, who will remain a key piece no matter what happens.

But now there's room to try out a pure number 10, and the name generating the most excitement is Nico Paz, of Como. The son of a former Argentina defender, he's been drawing steady praise for his form in Serie A. With the Argentina shirt, though, he hasn't delivered the same level yet: he's gone 11 matches without showing much, partly because both he and Messi wanted the ball at their feet, making it hard to fit them into the same lineup. That obstacle is gone now.

Paz should have plenty of minutes ahead of him, though he'll have competition: Franco Mastantuono is coming off a strong start to the season with Fiorentina and also wants his spot, and Thiago Almada, once he's recovered from injury, will be able to show his form week after week in front of the Argentine public now that he plays for River Plate.

Neymar, and especially the Messi of this final stretch, have left a mark that won't fade easily from their national teams. Now it's up to others to write their own story. The first chapter is just beginning.