As Neymar prepares to return to official competition this year with Al Hilal, amid rumors of his potential transfer, the star also has the 2026 World Cup in his mind. While there’s still a year to go, the forward has declared that the upcoming edition will be his last.
“I will try. I want to be there. I will do everything I can to be part of the National Team,” Neymar told CNN when asked if he thinks he will be ready and in form for the tournament. However, he then made a shocking admition: “I know this will be my last World Cup, my last shot, my last chance and I will do everything I can to play in it.”
The 32-year-old Brazilian star, who has 128 caps with the national team, was out of the pitch for over a year after he tore both his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee in a 2-0 loss to Uruguay.
Since then, he has made only two appearances with Al Hilal. Meanwhile, his return with the Canarinha is expected to take place in March for the upcoming Qualifiers matches, in which Brazil will play against Argentina.
Neymar is Brazil’s top goalscorer with 79 units (Pedro Vilela/Getty Images)
So far, Brazil, under the charge of Dorival Junior, have struggled in the 2026 Conmebol Qualifiers. They are currently in fifth position in the table with just five wins to their name in 12 qualifying fixtures, and only the top six of 10 nations qualify directly for the World Cup.
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Despite this, Neymar has stated that he thinks Brazil will find their way to not only qualify, but have a resurgence. “I have a lot of faith in the team, in the players who are emerging, who are young. It’s a young team,” he told CNN.
While he admits that the team is in a position they “don’t want to be in,” he stays optimistic. “I think together we can achieve something very big. We have a year, a year-and-a-half to work, to do the right things to reach the World Cup.”
With Brazil, Neymar has won the Confederations Cup and Olympic gold. However, Brazil hasn’t been able to win the World Cup since their last triumph in 2002, while also experiencing difficult defeats such as the humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany in 2014 on home soil.
In 2018 and 2022, they were eliminated from the tournament in the quarterfinals. However, with a team filled with stars, including talents like Vinicius Junior and Raphinha, Brazil has everything it needs to return to its glory days.
