World Cup 2026: it's almost over for Neymar Jr

Neymar is headed straight for a 2026 World Cup that he'll have to watch from his television. Carlo Ancelotti isn’t about to hand out any favors to the Brazilian superstar.

In the past few hours, Carlo Ancelotti has dashed the last hopes of seeing Neymar wear the Brazil jersey at the 2026 World Cup. The former Real Madrid manager once again singled out Neymar’s lack of physical fitness. "I haven’t spoken to Neymar recently. We’ll see when he’s able to recover and play again. For the World Cup, we need players in top physical condition." Ancelotti stated as he announced his squad for the November friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia.

It has to be admitted that since returning to Santos at the start of 2025, Neymar has shown flashes of his immense talent, but above all, he’s been plagued by injuries. His latest, a hamstring muscle injury, kept him off the pitch for several weeks; since mid-September, he’s played just 23 minutes.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.