After nearly three years of absence due to injury, Neymar returned to play for the Brazil national team at the 2026 World Cup and immediately reached a historic milestone that once belonged to Pele.
Neymar marked his comeback in the Brazil national team shirt when he was brought onto the pitch by coach Carlo Ancelotti in the 76th minute of the match against Scotland in the final matchday of Group C at the 2026 World Cup. The forward born in 1992 replaced Matheus Cunha amid the context of Brazil controlling the game and heading toward victory. Despite only featuring for more than the final 10 minutes of the match, Neymar still left a special mark. This is the 14th time he has appeared at the World Cup, thereby equaling the achievement of the legendary Pele in the Brazil national team shirt.
With this milestone, Neymar enters the group of players with the most caps for the “Selecao” at the planet’s biggest football festival. Heading the list is still Cafu with 20 matches, followed by Ronaldo Nazario with 19 matches. Dunga and Claudio Taffarel both have 18 appearances, while Lucio and Roberto Carlos possess 17 matches.
Neymar’s return becomes even more meaningful as he has just concluded a long period of struggling with injuries. Prior to the clash with Scotland, the last time this forward played for the Brazil national team was the match against Uruguay in the South American World Cup qualifiers on October 17, 2023.
In that match, Neymar suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear and meniscus damage in his left knee. The serious injury caused him to sit out for more than a year before continuing to encounter other physical issues. In total, Neymar had to wait 981 days to be able to return to play for the national team.
Since making his debut for the Brazil national team in October 2010, Neymar has never experienced such a long period of absence. However, the 34-year-old forward remains the top goalscorer in the history of the “Selecao” according to FIFA statistics with 79 goals in 128 appearances.
The 2026 World Cup is also the fourth World Cup in Neymar’s career following the 2014, 2018, and 2022 tournaments. Neymar’s timely return at an important stage of the tournament brings an additional quality option for coach Ancelotti on the journey to seek a 6th World Cup title in history.
