Бразилын шигшээ багийн ахлагч Неймар гэмтлийн улмаас удаан хугацаанд талбайд гараагүй ч Шотландын эсрэг болох тоглолтод оролцох төлөвтэй байна.
Бразилын шигшээ багийн дасгалжуулагч Карло Анчелотти Неймарыг бэлтгэлдээ маш нухацтай хандаж, биеийн байдал нь тоглолтод оролцоход бүрэн тэнцэхүйц байгааг онцлов. Тэрээр Неймарыг гараанд гарах эсэхээс үл хамааран туршлагаараа залуу тоглогчдод чухал нөлөө үзүүлж буйг дурдсан юм.
Бразилчууд хэсгийн эхний тоглолтод Мароккотой 1-1-ээр тэнцэж, Хаитиг 3-0-ээр хожсон бөгөөд Винисиус Жуниор, Матеус Кунья нар тус бүр хоёр гоол оруулжээ. Гэсэн хэдий ч Рафиньягийн бэртэл нь багийн довтолгоонд өөрчлөлт оруулах шаардлага үүсгэж байгаа тул Неймарын эргэн ирэлт нь цаг үеэ олсон чухал шийдвэр болж байна.
Өдгөө 34 настай Неймар 2023 оны аравдугаар сараас хойш шигшээ багтаа тоглоогүй бөгөөд 2026 оны ДАШТ-ий өмнөхөн өвдөгний хагалгаанд орсон юм. Тэрээр 2026 онд Сантос клубийн төлөө 682 минут тоглоод байхдаа бэртэл авсан ч ийнхүү дэлхийн аваргын талбайд эргэн ирэхэд бэлэн болжээ.
Дасгалжуулагч Анчелотти багийн залуу авьяастан Эндрик болон Неймар нарыг хөгжөөн дэмжигчид адилхан дэмжинэ гэдэгт итгэлтэй байгаагаа илэрхийллээ. Бразилын бүрэлдэхүүнд Габриэл Мартинелли, Игор Тиаго, Раян зэрэг Европын лигүүдэд өндөр амжилт үзүүлсэн довтлогчид багтаж байгаа нь багийн сонголтыг улам өргөжүүлж байна.
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Carlo Ancelotti has suggested that Neymar could “walk for 90 minutes” if Brazil’s record scorer plays for the Selecao for the first time since October 2023 when the record five-time champions face Scotland on Wednesday.
Despite being an icon in his homeland, Neymar’s inclusion in his country’s squad for the finals was a significant surprise after a lengthy international exile because of a knee operation and subsequent injuries and fitness issues, including a calf tear that has kept the 34-year-old out of Brazil’s first two group stage matches.
“He can play,” head coach Ancelotti said before Brazil attempt to win Group C. “He’s fine. Neymar is available. I can walk for 90 minutes. He trained very well.
“He’s worked very hard, with great seriousness, trying to recover as soon as possible. I’m very happy with him. Neymar’s attitude over these past few days has been very good.”
World Cup 2026: How Neymar could influence Brazil vs Scotland
Ancelotti left Neymar out of a squad as recently as March and the most expensive footballer in history had a knee procedure in April in an attempt to be fit for the finals.
The former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona striker had played 682 minutes for club side Santos in 2026 before he suffered his latest injury in late May, but Ancelotti says Neymar’s influence off the pitch has also been important.
“He knows his teammates very well,” explained Ancelotti. “If he doesn’t play, he helps with his experience, his knowledge of the game. He helps the younger players.”
Vinicius Junior and Matheus Cunha have scored twice each across Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Morocco and subsequent 3-0 win over Haiti, and Neymar’s return could be timely after forward Raphinha suffered a hamstring injury against the Grenadiers.
“[Neymar] prepared well for the game so he can play with the other players,” said Ancelotti. “With his quality, he can help the team.”
Is Neymar playing in the World Cup 2026? Brazil fixtures
Here’s how Brazil’s initial schedule looks and their subsequent potential fixtures, as well as the UK TV channel.
Asterisk denotes match starting the previous day in specified territory.
| Date | Match | Result | Stage | Time (BST) | ET | PT | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 13 | Morocco | 1-1 | Group | 23:00 | 18:00 | 15:00 | BBC |
| June 20 | Haiti | 3-0 | Group | 01:30 | 20:30* | 17:30* | ITV |
| June 24 | Scotland | Group | 23:00 | 18:00* | 15:00* | BBC | |
| June 29/30 | TBC | Round of 32 | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | |
| July 4/5 | TBC | Round of 16 | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | |
| July 9/11 | TBC | Quarter-finals | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | |
| July 14/15 | TBC | Semi-finals | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | |
| July 18 | TBC | Third-placed match | 22:00 | 17:00 | 12:00 | TBC | |
| July 19 | TBC | Final | 20:00 | 15:00 | 10:00 | BBC, ITV |
Neymar World Cup stats
The 2021 Copa America Best Player has 128 caps and broke Pele’s record by scoring the 78th of his 79 international goals during Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in September 2023, but ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Uruguay the following month.
After missing two games at the 2022 World Cup with an ankle injury, Neymar produced two goals and one assists but was part of a team knocked out by Croatia in the quarter-finals.
The result ensured he has never played beyond the last eight of the tournament, having been ever-present and contributed two goals and two assists before Brazil were knocked out at that stage by Belgium in 2018.
At his first World Cup in 2014, Neymar finished on four goals and one assist in five games but missed Brazil’s 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany and 3-0 third-placed match loss to the Netherlands through injury.
World Cup 2026: Who could Brazil replace Neymar with?
Ancelotti gave a World Cup debut to Endrick, who contributed five goals and seven assists in 16 appearances in Ligue 1 last season for Lyon on loan from Real Madrid, when the 19-year-old replaced Cunha in the 64th minute against Haiti.
“I notice that the fans are really rooting for Endrick, but [now] we also have Neymar,” said the Italian. “So will the fans be undecided between Endrick or Neymar? I think they’ll support both of them.”
Brazil are among the favourites to win the World Cup and Ancelotti is not short of forward options who have been prolific across Europe since Neymar last played regularly.
Gabriel Martinelli won the 2025/26 Premier League with Arsenal, Igor Thiago scored 22 times for Brentford to finish as the second-top scorer in last season’s English top flight and Cunha netted nine times in his final 21 appearances of the season for Manchester United.
Newcomer Rayan, 19, appears poised to supplant Raphinha and netted in three consecutive games across April and May to help Bournemouth qualify for Europe for the first time – a scoring sequence Luiz Henrique repeated for Zenit in the Russian Premier League.
Raphinha had an injury-strewn season but scored 13 times in 22 La Liga games for Barcelona, with Vinicius Junior matching that total across the Spanish top flight and the Champions League for Madrid.
