After their crushing 4-1 victory against South Korea in Qatar, the oddsmakers had Brazil as the 2022 Qatar World Cup favorites. However, the 2018 finalists pushed the Seleção to penalties, and thanks to the heroics of goalie Dominik Livakovic, they eventually lost in the shootout.
Even though Brazil have the most men's World Cup titles with five, this is the second consecutive tournament that they have been eliminated in the Quarter-Finals. After scoring his 77th international goal at the World Cup and matching the record held by Brazil icon Pele, Neymar's pleasure turned to sadness.
The Paris Saint-Germain attacker will be 34 by the time the next tournament is held, but it remains to be seen whether it will stop him from trying to feature in the event. Though he has scored some spectacular goals for Brazil's national team, he is in danger of calling it quits without a big title to show for his efforts.
Will Neymar feature for Brazil at 2026 World Cup?
After the disappointing elimination, when questioned about his future with the national team, the player exacerbated such anxieties by suggesting it may have been his last: “Honestly, I do not know. I think talking now is bad because of the heat of the moment. Maybe I’m not thinking straight. To say that this is the end would be rushing myself, but I don’t guarantee anything either. Let’s see what happens going forward.
“I want to take this time to think about it, think about what I want for myself. I will not close the door to playing with Brazil, nor do I say 100 percent that I will come back. I need to think a bit more about this, about what is the right thing for me and for the national team.”
Despite this, it has been reported by the Brazilian news outlet Terra that the 30-year-old forward has changed his mind and is now eager to participate in the 2026 World Cup. The report adds that he has confirmed to friends that he would stop at nothing to make it happen.
The fact that it will be another three and a half years until the next World Cup is held, in 2026, and Lionel Messi's World Cup performance in Qatar are both reportedly crucial elements. However, Neymar would be playing under a new coach if he were to rejoin the Brazil national team as Tite formally resigned after his team was eliminated from the tournament.
