Brazil will take on dark horse Norway, aiming to reach the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, in a clash that will add a new chapter to the never-ending summer saga of Neymar Jr.
A calf muscle injury threatened to deprive Neymar of his chance to compete at the fourth World Cup of his career. Fortunately for him and millions of fans around the world, the Seleção’s top scorer recovered in time to make his tournament debut in Brazil’s group stage final against Scotland.
Brazil then came from behind to defeat Japan 2–1 with a late strike from Gabriel Martinelli in the round of 16, battling against adversity to stay alive in the competition. However, a fully fit Neymar did not play a minute against Japan and simply watched from the bench as his teammates came from behind on Monday.
As Brazil survived another day of struggle, the question has resurfaced: is Neymar going to play against Norway in the round of 16?
Neymar’s role in the Brazil national team against Norway
Neymar will be praying for a chance to get some minutes against Norway. | Michael Reeves/Getty Images
Brazil’s starting line-up for the game has already been confirmed and, perhaps unsurprisingly, given Carlo Ancelotti’s remarks after the match against Japan, Neymar is once again among the substitutes.
“We waited for extra time (to bring Neymar on),” admitted Ancelotti. “I spoke to him and said: ‘If we don’t equalise, you’ll go into the match in the 60th or 65th minute.’ We had equalized before that and I didn’t want to change the team structure because we were dominating the game.”
It is clear that Ancelotti keeps Neymar as a weapon for very specific situations. The 34-year-old may not be able to play for more than half an hour, as evidenced by the fact that the Italian brought on Martinelli ahead of him in what ultimately looked like a stroke of genius.
Brazil – Norway – confirmed lineups
Ancelotti himself confirmed that Neymar is unhappy with the minor role he is playing for Brazil this summer, but praised the veteran for the way he handled the situation.
“He is not satisfied (with his role) but he behaves very well,” Ancelotti said of Neymar’s situation via HOW. “He trains very well. Neymar is very respectful, kind and loved by his teammates. He is an important figure in the team because he has qualities and is a very humble person.”
“I’m very happy with him. And obviously he wants to play like he’s always wanted to play. The important thing is that he can play. Nobody knows how long he’ll play. He’s got the experience to manage his time in the game and the tempo.”
“When I see that the team needs him, I will put him in.”
All eyes will now be on Vinicius Junior from the start, while Erling Haaland will pose a huge threat to Norway at the other end of the pitch. But don’t completely discount Neymar’s appearance – after all, this is his last chance at World Cup glory.
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