Will Neymar play at World Cup 2026? Brazil star's chances of making final roster after new Santos contract

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Will Neymar play at World Cup 2026? Brazil star's chances of making final roster after new Santos contract originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Brazil will continue their proud record as the only nation to compete at every edition of the FIFA World Cup when the 2026 tournament in North America comes around.

The five-time champions are playing under veteran Italian coach and five-time UEFA Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti as they plot a record-extending sixth world title.

However, there is a notable lack of optimism surrounding Brazil's prospects.

Since their most recent World Cup triumph in 2002, the Selecao have lost four out of five quarterfinals. The only time they got beyond that stage, on home soil in 2014, it ended in grand humiliation as Germany hammered them 7-1 in Belo Horizonte.

Brazil's defining star of this underwhelming period — some might say fittingly — is the superstar forward Neymar.

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Will Neymar play at World Cup 2026?

Certainly, Neymar will likely hope to play at the 2026 World Cup finals, and his decision to sign a new contract with Santos for this year would suggest he is eager to prove his worth to Ancelotti between now and June.

Neymar is Brazil's all-time leading scorer, having gone past the great Pele with a brace against Bolivia in September 2023. A month later, in a World Cup qualifier versus Uruguay, he suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee.

The 33-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain star has not played for his country since and was overlooked for recent squads by Ancelotti, but the Italian has never ruled out a return.

"He has to be 100 percent," Ancelotti told Esporte Record when asked about Neymar's place in his World Cup plans.

"There are many players who are very good, I need to choose players who are 100 percent. It's not just Neymar; it could be Vinicius. If Vinicius is at 90 percent, I'll call up another player who is at 100 percent, because it's a team that has a very high level of competence, especially up front. Up front, we have really many good players."

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Is Neymar injured?

Neymar is back playing club football at the moment, but he is struggling with a meniscus issue in his left knee that, according to reports in December 2025, would likely require arthroscopic surgery.

"I'm feeling better and better," Neymar said in late November. "This injury is sad, it's annoying. But it's nothing that will stop me from doing anything. That's why I keep playing."

Santos play their first game of the 2026 Paulista A — the Sao Paulo regional championship — on January 10. It is unclear at the moment when Neymar will be involved in matches again.

What team does Neymar play for?

Neymar plays for Brazilian team Santos, his boyhood club which he rejoined in January 2025 following an injury-ruined stint with Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal.

On November 28, 2025, Neymar started and scored in Santos' 3-0 win over Sport — a result that moved his club out of the Campeonato Brasileirao Serie A relegation zone on goal difference with two games of the 2025 season remaining. They ended the campaign in 12th place in the standings.