Brazil takes on dark-horse Norway looking to progress to the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals on Sunday, a clash that will add a new chapter to the unending Neymar Jr summer saga.
A calf injury threatened to spoil Neymar’s chances of featuring in his fourth career World Cup. Fortunately for him and millions of fans across the globe, La Seleçao’s all-time leading goalscorer recovered in time and made his highly anticipated tournament debut in Brazil’s group stage finale vs. Scotland.
Brazil then came from behind to dramatically defeat Japan 2–1 with a late Gabriel Martinelli strike in the round of 32, battling adversity to stay alive in the competition.
However, a fully fit Neymar didn’t play a single minute against Japan, simply watching from the bench as his teammates came from behind on Monday.
With Brazil living to fight another day, the question once again surfaces: Will Neymar play against Norway in the round of 16?
Neymar’s Role for Brazil Against Norway
Following the win against Japan, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti had some telling comments regarding why Neymar finished the match as an unused substitute.
“We were waiting for extra time [to bring Neymar on],” Ancelotti admitted. “I spoke with him and told him ’If we haven’t equalized the match, you will enter the match in the 60th or 65th minute.’ We equalized before then and I didn’t want to change the team’s structure because we were dominating the game.”
It’s clear Ancelotti is saving Neymar as a weapon for very specific contexts. The oft-injured 34-year-old might not be capable of playing for longer than half an hour—something further evidenced by the Italian bringing on Martinelli ahead of him, which ended up looking like a stroke of genius.
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Ancelotti himself confirmed Neymar isn’t happy with the secondary role he’s playing for Brazil this summer, yet he commended the veteran for how he’s handled the situation.
“He’s not satisfied [with his role], but he’s behaving very well,” Ancelotti said about Neymar’s situation, via AS. “He’s training very well. Neymar is very respectful, kind and loved by his teammates. He’s an important figure in the team because he has quality and he's a very humble person.
“I’m very happy with him. And obviously he wants to play, like he’s always wanted. The important thing is that he can play. No one knows how long he will play. He has the experience to manage his minutes in the game and the tempo.
“When I see that the team needs him, I’ll put him on.”
It would be shocking if Neymar is included in Brazil’s starting XI against Norway on Sunday. Based on Ancelotti's comments, it seems like Brazil’s No.10 will only see the pitch if La Seleçao is in need of a player that can make a difference late in the game.
