MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Neymar came off the bench to make his first World Cup appearance at the 2026 World Cup for Brazil in their 3-0 Group C win over Scotland on Wednesday.
Vinícius Júnior scored twice in the first half and Mattheus Cunha added a second-half goal as Brazil clinched top spot ahead of Morocco, who beat eliminated Haiti in Wednesday’s other Group C match.
Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti said ahead of the game that Neymar was fully fit and would be available, and the Santos forward entered the game in the 76th minute to a loud ovation from the huge contingent of Selecaofans at Hard Rock Stadium.
Brazil led the match 3-0 when Neymar came on for Cunha as they looked to see out the game and top the group ahead of Morocco.
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Before Neymar came on, it was Brazil’s newest star Vinicius that had the fans enraptured, scoring his team’s opener courtesy of a Scotland gaffe at the back and then adding another from a backpost header right before halftime.
Mattheus Cunha added Brazil’s third goal on 60 minutes and there was no way back into the game for an overmatched — and uninspiring — Scotland side at that point.
Neymar was one of the final players to get off Brazil’s bus Wednesday afternoon before the game, flashing a thumbs-up, giving a wave and slapping hands with a few well-wishers as he made his way inside the stadium and toward the team’s locker room.
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“He is available. He trained very well this week,” Ancelotti said Tuesday, without confirming that Neymar would take the field against Scotland. “He is fit and able, ready to play. We are very happy that he is back. He is a high-quality player.”
Neymar has been dealing with a right calf injury, one that has sidelined him from all matches for more than a month. He went through a training session with Brazil on Sunday, prompting the belief that he could finally be set to play.
Neymar is Brazil’s career scoring leader with 79 goals in 129 international appearances. The 34-year-old forward appeared in each of the past three World Cups for Brazil, scoring eight goals.
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His role — and whether he deserves to be on this team at all — has been a major talking point among Brazil’s passionate fans for some time. Neymar has struggled since returning from tearing the ACL in his left knee in October 2023 in a World Cup qualifier, and has four goals in eight matches for his Brazilian club Santos this season.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
