Despite having iconic status in Brazil, Neymar’s inclusion in his country’s 2026 World Cup squad came as a significant surprise.
The Seleção’s record scorer, now 34, had not played international football for almost three years at the start of the finals, after suffering a serious knee injury during a World Cup qualifier in October 2023.
That meant Neymar barely played for Saudi side Al-Hilal, who he joined for £77.6m from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023, before signing for Brazilian giants Santos in January 2025.
Here’s what Neymar and Brazil’s schedule looks like heading into the final, including where to watch, kick-off times and the latest on his fitness.
Neymar’s World Cup matches: confirmed schedule, start times
Brazil will face Morocco, Haiti and Scotland during the group stage. This is when those games and their possible subsequent matches take place, as well as the UK TV channel.
The asterisk indicates the match that started the previous day in a specific territory.
| Date | Phosphorus | Result | Scenery | Time (BST) | eastern time | P.T. | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 13 | Morocco | Cluster | 23:00 | 18:00 | 15:00 | bbc | |
| June 20 | Haiti | Cluster | 01:30 | 20:30* | 17:30* | ITV | |
| June 24 | Scotland | Cluster | 23:00 | 18:00* | 15:00* | bbc | |
| June 29/30 | to confirm | round of 32 | to confirm | to confirm | to confirm | to confirm | |
| July 4/5 | to confirm | round of 16 | to confirm | to confirm | to confirm | to confirm | |
| July 9/11 | to confirm | Quarter finals | to confirm | to confirm | to confirm | to confirm | |
| July 14/15 | to confirm | Semifinals | to confirm | to confirm | to confirm | to confirm | |
| July 18 | to confirm | Match for third place | 22:00 | 17:00 | 12:00 | to confirm | |
| July 19 | to confirm | End | 20:00 | 15:00 | 10:00 | BBC, ITV |
Will Neymar play in the 2026 World Cup? Injury updates
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti left Neymar out of the team in March and the former Barcelona goalscorer underwent knee surgery in April in a bid to be fit for the final.
Ancelotti then selected Neymar, who had played 682 minutes in 2026, before suffering a calf injury in late May that was expected to keep him out for two to three weeks.
Neymar did not travel with Brazil to their World Cup warm-up matches, but the Selecao said on June 8 that he was making “good progress,” suggesting he could join training before the opening match of the final on June 12.
The 2021 Copa América Best Player has 128 caps and broke Pelé’s record by scoring 78 of his 79 international goals during Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Bolivia in September 2023, but tore his ACL against Uruguay the following month.
Neymar’s next game at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Neymar’s next potential World Cup match will be Brazil’s opener against Morocco at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 12 at 23:00 BST.
Brazil World Cup squad: full list confirmed
Ancelotti named his squad on May 18.
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Fenerbahce), Weverton (Gremio).
Defenders: Alex Sandro, Danilo, Leo Pereira (Flamengo), Bremer (Juventus), Ibáñez (Al-Ahli), Ederson (Atalanta), Marquinhos (PSG), Gabriel (Arsenal), Douglas Santos (Zenit Saint Petersburg)
Midfielders: Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle), Casemiro (Manchester United), Danilo Santos (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Lucas Paqueta (Flamengo)
Forwards: Endrick (Lyon), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Matheus Cunha (Man United), Raphinha (Barcelona), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Neymar (Santos), Rayan (Bournemouth)
World Cup 2026: Who could Brazil replace Neymar with?
Brazil are among the favorites to win the World Cup and Ancelotti has no shortage 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 goals as Brentford finished as the English top-flight’s second-highest scorer last season and Matheus Cunha scored nine goals in his final 21 appearances of the season for Manchester United.
Newcomer Rayan, 19, scored in three consecutive games between April and May to help Bournemouth qualify for Europe for the first time, and Luiz Henrique repeated that feat with Zenit in the Russian Premier League.
Raphinha had an injury-plagued season, but scored 13 goals in 22 La Liga games for Barcelona, and Vinicius Junior equaled that total in the Spanish top flight and the Champions League with Real Madrid.
Los Blancos on loan endrick to Lyon, where the 19-year-old contributed five goals and seven assists in 16 Ligue 1 appearances.
Spain, France, Argentina, England, Portugal and Germany are among the most likely candidates that Brazil will have to defeat if it wants to add five titles to its record, although it has not triumphed since lifting the trophy when the 2002 World Cup It was celebrated in Japan and South Korea.
After missing two games at the 2022 World Cup due to an ankle injury, Neymar He produced two goals and an assist, but was part of a team eliminated by Croatia in the quarterfinals.
The result ensured that he never played beyond the round of 16 of the tournament, as he was ever-present and contributed with two goals and two assists before Brazil were eliminated at that stage by Belgium in 2018.
In his first World Cup in 2014, Neymar finished with four goals and one assist in five games, but he missed Brazil’s 7-1 semifinal loss to Germany and the 3-0 loss in the third-place game to the Netherlands due to injury.
