Vini Jr honest on Neymar's absence from Brazil squad: “In recent...” | OneFootball

Neymar was left out of the last call-up before the 2026 World Cup

The Brazilian National Team continues its preparations to face France on Thursday (26) in a friendly ahead of the World Cup. This Wednesday (25), Vinicius Júnior spoke at a press conference and, when asked about Neymar’s absence from the ‘Seleção’, said he wants to play alongside the star.

— In recent seasons I’ve been one of the best, Raphinha too... Casemiro goes without saying. There’s so much experience. The pressure on Ney is normal. I may be biased, but Ney is one of my idols — he said, before adding:

— He’s doing everything to be 100%, to return to the National Team... Now, the decision is up to the coach. But we players always want to play with the best — Vini Jr. concluded.

When was the last time Neymar played for the Brazilian National Team?

Neymar is hoping to wear the ‘Seleção’ shirt again after more than two years, since he last played for Brazil in October 2023, in a match against Uruguay. Since then, the attacking midfielder has been dealing with a string of injuries, from his time at Al Hilal (SAU) to his current days at Santos, which has disrupted his run.

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

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

It is worth noting that the official Brazil squad announcement for the World Cup will take place on May 19. Therefore, coach Carlo Ancelotti will begin preparing the squad on the 25th of the same month, while the trip to the United States is scheduled for June 1.

When do Brazil and France play?

The friendly between Brazil and France will take place at 5 p.m. (Brasília time) this Thursday (26) at Gillette Stadium in Boston. Then, on March 31, the Brazilian National Team will wrap up its warm-up matches against Croatia in Orlando.

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will bring all the details of the match between Brazil and France through its website and social media channels. In addition, Globo (free-to-air TV), GE TV (YouTube) and SporTV (pay TV) will broadcast the Brazilian National Team friendly.

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