Neymar, the star striker of Brazil's national football team who missed two group-stage matches with a calf injury, has returned to team training. As a result, the likelihood of his appearance in the final group-stage match against Scotland at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across North and Central America, has increased.
Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke after the team's 3-0 victory over Haiti in the second Group C match on the 20th. "Neymar will complete an individual training session tomorrow and then join team training," he said. "He should be able to play in the final group-stage match against Scotland."
Neymar had initially been expected to prepare his condition for the round-of-32 tournament schedule. However, Ancelotti appears set to field Neymar in the final group-stage match against Scotland on the 25th to sharpen his match fitness.
Neymar holds Brazil's record for the most goals in international matches, with 79 goals in 128 appearances. He has reached his fourth career World Cup stage, following the 2014 tournament in Brazil, the 2018 tournament in Russia, and the 2022 tournament in Qatar. However, he was unable to play in the first and second group-stage matches due to a right calf muscle injury last month.
Brazilian President Lula joked about the situation, saying, "Neymar is the world's first player to be called up to the national team and work from home."
