Teixeira unveils Copa plan, Gabigol: "Santos is my team"

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·5 gennaio 2026

Teixeira unveils Copa plan, Gabigol: "Santos is my team"

Marcelo Teixeira revealed that he has a project to take Gabigol to the 2026 World Cup. This Monday, during the striker’s presentation, the Santos president stated that he wants to see the number 9 alongside Neymar in the Brazilian National Team at the FIFA tournament, scheduled for June.

“You still have a lot to give us. We have a project for some players, among them Neymar, to return to the Brazilian National Team for next year’s World Cup. Now we have two projects. The second is you (Gabigol),” said the president.

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“You wear the number 9 shirt for Santos today with the aim of having a good first half of the year, a wonderful performance so that you can also be a Santos player representing the Brazilian National Team at the World Cup,” he added.

Despite the project, Gabigol remained grounded. He understands that his current form is not worthy of the National Team and that his focus is on Peixe.

“The president is being quite optimistic, of course it’s a dream to be in the National Team. It will always be a goal, until I end my career. But my moment doesn’t match that, but it’s not impossible. My national team will be Santos. Maybe I need Santos more than Santos needs me,” he emphasized.

Gabriel Barbosa has not played for Brazil since January 2022. The striker has never played in a World Cup, only in Qualifiers, Copa América, friendlies, and the Olympics.

Upcoming Santos matches

Santos vs Novorizontino (first round of the Paulistão)
Date and time: 01/10, at 4:00 PM (Brasília time)
Location: Vila Belmiro, in Santos (SP)

Palmeiras vs Santos (second round of the Paulistão)
Date and time: 01/14, at 7:30 PM (Brasília time)
Location: Arena Barueri, in São Paulo (SP)

World Cup with a new format

The 2026 World Cup will debut a new format. From now on, to become champions, a team will need to play eight matches. That’s because there will be a stage before the round of 16: the round of 32. The top two from each group will advance to the knockout stage, along with the eight best third-placed teams.

When does it start?

The opening match of the 2026 World Cup is scheduled for June 11, at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. In total, there will be 104 matches in the competition.

The knockout stage is set to begin on June 28. The grand final, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, will be on July 19. The third-place match will take place the day before, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

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