2026 World Cup schedule, matches, results, kick-off times, confirmed updates, injury news, full Brazil squad
Despite holding a prestigious position in Brazil, Neymar’s inclusion in his country’s squad for the 2026 World Cup was a big surprise.
Now 34, the Selecao’s 79-goal scorer had been out of international football for almost three years at the start of the final, suffering a serious knee injury during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023.
That meant Neymar had never featured for Saudi club Al-Hilal, who he joined for £77.6 million from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023, before signing for Brazilian giants Santos in January 2025.
Here’s how Neymar and Brazil’s schedule look at the final, including where to watch, early times and the latest on his fitness.
Neymar’s World Cup matches: Confirmed schedule, kick-off times
Brazil will face Morocco, Haiti and Scotland in the group stage. Here’s where those games are taking place and their potential matches, along with the UK TV channel.
An asterisk denotes a match that starts from the previous day in a particular location.
| The day | Compare | The result | The stage | Time (BST) | ET | PT | The channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 13 | Morocco | The group | 23:00 | 18:00 | 15:00 | BBC | |
| June 20 | Haiti | The group | 01:30 | 20:30* | 17:30* | ITV | |
| June 24 | In Scotland | The group | 23:00 | 18:00* | 15:00* | BBC | |
| June 29/30 | TBC | Round 32 | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | |
| July 4/5 | TBC | Round 16 | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | |
| July 9/11 | TBC | Quarter-final | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | |
| July 14/15 | TBC | Semi-finalist | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | |
| July 18 | TBC | Third place match | 22:00 | 17:00 | 12:00 | TBC | |
| July 19 | TBC | Finally | 20:00 | 15:00 | 10:00 | BBC, ITV |
Is Neymar playing in the 2026 World Cup? Injury updates
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti left Neymar out of the squad as recently as March and the former Barcelona star underwent knee surgery in April in an effort to prepare for the finals.
Ancelotti then opted for Neymar, who had played 682 minutes in 2026, before suffering a calf injury in late May that was expected to keep him out for two to three weeks.
Neymar did not travel with Brazil in their World Cup warm-up matches but the Selecao said on June 8 that he was “progressing well”, suggesting he could join training ahead of their opening match in the finals on June 12.
The 2021 Copa America Player of the Year has 128 caps and broke Pele’s record by scoring his 78th of 79 goals against Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier in Brazil in September 2023, but ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament against Uruguay the following month.
After missing two games at the 2022 World Cup due to an ankle injury, Neymar produced two goals and one assist but was part of the team that was knocked out by Croatia in the quarter-finals.
The result ensured he did not play beyond the final eight games of the tournament, as he was always present and scored two goals and provided two assists before Brazil were knocked out by Belgium in 2018.
In his first World Cup in 2014, Neymar finished with four goals and one assist in five games but missed Brazil’s 7-1 semi-final loss to Germany and the 3-0 loss to third-placed Netherlands due to injury.
Neymar’s next match in FIFA World Cup 2026
Neymar’s next possible World Cup match will be Brazil’s opener against Morocco at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey on June 12 at 23:00 BST.
Brazil World Cup squad: Full confirmed list
Ancelotti named his team on May 18.
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Fenerbahce), Weverton (Gremio).
Defenders: Alex Sandro, Danilo, Leo Pereira (Flamengo), Bremer (Juventus), Ibanez (Al-Ahli), Ederson (Atalanta), Marquinhos (PSG), Gabriel (Arsenal), Douglas Santos (Zenit St Petersburg)
Midfielders: Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle), Casemiro (Manchester United), Danilo Santos (Botafogo), Fabinho (Al-Ittihad), Lucas Paqueta (Flamengo)
Leaders: Endrick (Lyon), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Igor Thiago (Brentford), Matheus Cunha (Man United), Raphinha (Barcelona), Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), Luiz Henrique (Zenit), Neymar (Santos), Rayan (Bournemouth)
2026 World Cup: Who can replace Neymar for Brazil?
Brazil is among the favorites to win the World Cup and Ancelotti has no shortage of top players in Europe as Neymar is the last to play regularly.
Gabriel Martinelli won the Premier League with Arsenal, Igor Thiago scored 22 goals as Brentford finished second in the English top flight last season and Matheus Cunha netted nine goals in his last 21 games of the season for Manchester United.
Youngster Rayan, 19, scored in three successive games in April and May to help Bournemouth qualify for Europe for the first time, while Luiz Henrique did the same for Zenit in the Russian Premier League.
Raphinha had an injury-plagued season but scored 13 points in 22 La Liga games for Barcelona, while Vinius Junior matched that tally in Spain’s top flight and in the Champions League for Real Madrid.
Los Blancos loaned Endrick to Lyon, where the 19-year-old scored five goals and provided seven assists in 16 Ligue 1 appearances.
Spain, France, Argentina, England, Portugal and Germany are some of the other teams that Brazil should see if they want to add to their record five titles, although they have not won since lifting the trophy from Japan and South Korea at the 2002 World Cup.
