Neymar da Silva Santos Jรบnior, simply known as Neymar Junior among the fans, made his first appearance in the FIFA World Cup 2026, as he returned for Brazil’s last Group A game against Scotland in the tournament on Wednesday.ย
The 34-year-old star footballer entered the field in the 76th minute as a substitute for Matheus Cunha. He was forced to miss the first two games of Brazil against Morocco and Haiti due to a right calf injury.
The fans at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida erupted in joy after the entry of Neymar, whose participation in the game was confirmed by the team’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti on Tuesday. “He is available. He trained very well this week… He is fit and able, ready to play. We are very happy that he is back. He is a high-quality player,” Ancelotti had said.
Neymar immediately made an impact in the game, even as he didn’t score a goal. But by appearing in the game against Scotland, the Brazilian star has joined Pelรฉ in an elite list. He has now become the fourth Brazilian to participate in four different FIFA World Cups: 2014 in Brazil, 2018 in Russia, 2022 in Qatar and the 2026th edition.
Coming yo Pelรฉ, he also played in four editions: 1958 in Sweden, 1962 in Chile, 1966 in England, and 1970 in Mexico. He has a total of 12 goals in all these four editions. On the contrary, Neymar has eight goals in four world cups; though he remains Brazil’s career scoring leader with 79 goals in 130 international appearances.ย
Neymar’s return has boosted the confidence of Brazilian team, with Ancelotti saying this was the biggest positive of the team from the game. Meanwhile, Neymar said he was “very happy” to wear the team’s jersey after three years.ย
Neymar had last played for Brazil in 2023.
“I feel fine physically. Obviously, it was tough being sidelined for all those days,” the Brazilian superstar said after the game. “It was a mix of emotions when I came on, because it had been a long time away from the national team… Thank God everything went well and I was able to return.”
ALSO READ –ย Self-goals twice in same tournament: Qatar’s unwanted record in FIFA World Cup history