Neymar has finally made his long-awaited appearance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, coming on in the 76th minute for Matheus Cunha during Brazil’s 3–0 win over Scotland at Miami Stadium.

HISTORIC MOMENT

A total of 981 days after his last appearance for Brazil, Neymar once again wore the Seleção shirt following his controversial call-up to the tournament and after missing matches against Morocco and Haiti due to injury.

This marks Neymar’s fourth FIFA World Cup appearance, having previously featured at 2014 FIFA World Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2022 FIFA World Cup, and now the 2026 edition in North America.

By reaching that milestone, Neymar joins legendary Brazilian figures such as Pele, Cafu, and Djalma Santos as players who have appeared in four World Cups. 

His selection for the squad had already put him alongside Ronaldo, Thiago Silva, Nílton Santos, and Castilho among the Brazilians to be called up for four World Cup tournaments, even if not all were starters in every edition.

CONTEXT AND A LOW-KEY RETURN

The 34-year-old finally made his first appearance at the World Cup being held across Mexico, the United States and Canada after Brazil had already wrapped up the match against an ineffective Scotland side and secured first place in Group C. With Haiti frustrating Morocco’s hopes of overtaking the Selecao in the standings, Carlo Ancelotti was able to introduce Neymar in place of Matheus Cunha, scorer of Brazil’s third goal in the rout.

Thanks to a brace from Vinícius Junior and a dominant performance from Bruno Guimaraes, Ancelotti did not need to take many risks with the Brazilian legend. While Neymar is not at his peak form, the coach had insisted he was physically capable of playing 90 minutes after recovering from a Grade II calf muscle injury.

The fans were undoubtedly the happiest people in the stadium when Neymar stepped onto the field. He was greeted with loud applause and chants, looking skyward and visibly emotional as he returned to football’s biggest stage.

His performance was modest but encouraging. Neymar recorded 24 touches, completed 94 percent of his passes, created three chances, forced a save with a free-kick effort, and lost possession nine times during his brief cameo.

The Brazilian star had not played since May 17, 2026, when he suffered the calf injury while playing for Santos against Coritiba in Brazil’s domestic league.

For the national team, it was his first appearance since the devastating injury he sustained against Uruguay in a South American World Cup qualifier on October 17, 2023, at Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium.

Before this return, Neymar’s most recent World Cup match had come on December 9, 2022, when Brazil were eliminated by Croatia on penalties in the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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