Zico gives Neymar advice on 2026 World Cup call-up: "Drop everything..." | OneFootball

Brazilian National Team to Play Final Two Friendlies Before the World Cup in March

With about four months left until the start of the 2026 World Cup, Neymar’s name remains one of the main topics in sports news. This is because the Brazilian press is debating whether or not the player will be called up by Carlo Ancelotti. As the greatest idol of Flamengo, Zico gave the ‘recipe’ for Santos’ number 10 to make it to the World Cup.

— This is the time to think only as a professional. Live for this. Forget about everything else and focus on training, resting, preparing well, and getting match fit. In football, you need to be 100% focused on this. Other things take a back seat –, he said, before concluding:

— Forget about commercials and the rest of your life for a while. The focus now has to be on coming back strong. These months can help him a lot, given the talent and quality he has. So, drop everything and focus only on playing football, preparing, and resting to be in top shape on the field -, Zico concluded, in an interview with ‘Cazé TV’.

What is Brazil’s Group in the 2026 World Cup?

Currently ranked fifth in the FIFA national team rankings, Brazil is the top seed in Group C. Thus, the ‘Seleção’ will face Morocco, Scotland, and Haiti in the group stage of the World Cup. The ‘Canarinho’ will make their debut against Morocco on June 13.

What Are the Next Matches for the Brazilian National Team?

Before thinking about the World Cup, the Brazilian National Team still has two preparation friendlies. On March 26, Brazil faces France at Gillette Stadium in Boston. Then, on March 31, the ‘Seleção’ faces Croatia at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Thus, the call-up for the Brazilian National Team for these two friendlies will take place on March 16 (Monday). This way, Neymar is looking forward to possibly wearing the ‘Seleção’ shirt again after more than two years, since his last appearance for Brazil was in October 2023, in a match against Uruguay.

And What About Flamengo?

Meanwhile, Flamengo remains focused on its next fixture of the season. This Thursday (19th), Filipe Luís’ team faces Lanús (ARG) at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), in Argentina, for the first leg of the Recopa Sudamericana.

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will bring all the details about the match between Flamengo and Lanús through YouTube, their website, and social media. However, ESPN (cable channel) and Disney+ (streaming) will broadcast the Recopa match.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.