Neymar is not playing for Brazil against Morocco today due to a muscle injury, forcing the Santos star to watch his nation’s debut at the 2026 FIFA World Cup from the sidelines. However, the 34-year-old made sure to show gratitude before his teammates took the field.
“Thank you, my God… thank you for giving me the chance to experience this once again,” Neymar wrote on Instagram hours before kickoff at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
Despite the injury preventing him from playing for Brazil against Morocco in East Rutherford on Matchday 1, Neymar is still thankful for the opportunity to play at another FIFA World Cup in his career.
Neymar’s unexpected 2026 World Cup call-up
Neymar’s gratitude makes sense, considering that his 2026 World Cup presence looked unlikely before a last-minute change of heart by Carlo Ancelotti. Despite dealing with physical setbacks over the last few months, Carletto ultimately opted to include Neymar on his roster, even though it meant leaving Joao Pedro out.
Neymar hasn’t played for Brazil since October 2023, when he sustained a serious knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for months — and pretty much affected his career since then.
Ancelotti constantly snubbed Neymar in his call-ups, which is why many feared that Ney wouldn’t make the World Cup squad either. The former Barcelona star made the cut though, and even with an injury affecting him at the start of the tournament, his potential return later in the group stage creates expectations in Brazil.
Neymar’s World Cup history
2026 marks the fourth World Cup appearance in Neymar’s career, as the winger had previously represented the Selecao in 2014, 2018, and 2022. His first appearance was cut short by a devastating back injury before Brazil suffered a blowout 7-1 loss to Germany in the semifinals.
2018 saw Ney help Brazil reach the quarterfinals, where they lost to Belgium. In 2022, the team once again failed to get past the quarterfinals as Croatia pulled off an upset on penalties.
Neymar arrives in the 2026 edition with eight goals and four assists in 13 World Cup games. Will he improve this stats and help Brazil reach the promised land this year? Only time will tell us.
