London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 08, 2026

Neymar unsure if he’ll play for Brazil at another World Cup

Neymar unsure if he’ll play for Brazil at another World Cup

‘I will not close the door to playing with Brazil, nor do I say 100 percent that I’ll come back,’ Neymar said.

Brazil’s Neymar says he is unsure if he will play for the national team at another World Cup after his side’s stunning loss to Croatia in their quarter-final match on Friday.

Neymar, playing in his third World Cup for the number one ranked Brazil, broke down in tears after Marquinhos struck the post in a penalty shootout, giving Croatia a 4-2 win.

“Honestly, I do not know,” Neymar, 30, told reporters in Al Rayyan, Qatar, after the heartbreaking defeat.

“I think talking now is bad because of the heat of the moment. Maybe I’m not thinking straight. To say that this is the end would be rushing myself, but I don’t guarantee anything either. Let’s see what happens going forward,” the ESPN sports network reported.

Neymar had hinted in November that Qatar could be his final World Cup.

“I can’t guarantee that I’ll play another [World] Cup,” he told Brazilian network Globo. “I honestly don’t know. I’ll play like it’s the last. Maybe I’ll play another one, maybe not. It depends. There’s going to be a coaching change and I don’t know if that coach will like me.”

Brazil’s crushing loss capped a bittersweet day for Neymar, the Paris Saint-Germain forward whose first-half goal, which put Brazil on top momentarily, tied him with Pele as his country’s all-time leading scorer. It was his 77th goal in 124 international matches.

“I want to take this time to think about it, think about what I want for myself,” he said.

“I will not close the door to playing with Brazil, nor do I say 100 percent that I’ll come back.”

The 30-year-old found the back of the net twice at the World Cup, his first goal coming in the last 16 in Brazil’s 4-1 steamrolling of South Korea after he sat out two group stage games due to an ankle injury he sustained in the team’s opening match against Serbia.


Neymar in action during the Croatia vs Brazil quarter-final on December 9, 2022, at Education City Stadium in Qatar

Neymar was slated to take Brazil’s fifth and decisive penalty kick but Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković denied him the opportunity after shutting down Rodrygo then Marquinhos’s shot hit the post.

“He should have taken the fifth and decisive penalty,” Brazilian coach Tite told reporters. “The player with the most quality and mental skills is the one to be in charge in the moment when the pressure is high.”

Tite, who has led the Brazilian team for the past six years, announced his resignation as head coach following the shattering loss to Croatia.

“The cycle has ended, and I keep to my word,” Tite, 61, said following Friday’s game.

“There are other great professionals that can replace me. When their [Croatia’s] goalkeeper [Dominik Livaković] is the best player on the field, the game is talking to you. We had to be more effective in making goals. But did Brazil show their best? Overall, yes.”


Neymar, who has not yet hoisted a World Cup, despite a storied career, was a crucial component of Brazil’s quarter-final run in Russia four years ago when the team was beaten by Belgium. He has won two LaLiga titles, four Ligue 1 titles, a Champions League trophy and a Copa Libertadores.

Veteran Brazil defender Dani Alves, who consoled Neymar on the field following the Croatia match, also announced he will be retiring from international play but said he would continue competing in club leagues.

In one of the more touching post-match moments, the son of Croatian forward Ivan Perisić rushed to comfort a tearful Neymar as he and Alves embraced each other at midfield.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Innovation Campus
Families Give Evidence to Independent Review of Sussex Maternity Failures
Sweden Confirms Deportation of 458 British Citizens Over Post-Brexit Residency Rules
UK Launches £3 Million Challenge for Long-Duration Energy Storage
Reform UK Proposes £100 Billion in Spending Cuts and Brownfield Deregulation
Andy Burnham Warns Macron That EU Procurement Rules Could Hurt British Steel
Andy Burnham Faces Major Decision on Future North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling
SEND Support in England Projected to Reach One in 10 Pupils
England’s Housing Courts Struggle With Surge in No-Fault Eviction Cases
Violent Clashes Erupt in Portsmouth During Protest Against Asylum Processing
Three-Quarters of NHS Emergency Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
UK Considers Converting Female Prison Space for Male Inmates as Overcrowding Worsens
UK House Prices Record First Annual Decline in Nearly Three Years
UK Government Reassesses Policy Toward Israel Amid Calls for Diplomatic Shift
Reform UK Faces Police Scrutiny Over Alleged Foreign Donations Scheme
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
Online Bookmakers Accused of Privacy Breaches Through Cookie Consent Practices
Health Campaigners Urge UK Government to Abandon U.S. Pharmaceutical Agreement
Three-Quarters of UK A&E Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
Far-Right Demonstrations Target Portsmouth as Small-Boat Crossings Fuel Tensions
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record After Severe Heatwaves
UK Travellers Face Renewed EU Border Delays as Temporary Flexibility Ends
UK Rejects Calls to Pause AI Data Centre Expansion Despite Energy Concerns
UK Defence Figures Push for 3% Spending Target Amid Falklands Concerns
England Faces Rising Financial Pressure as Special Educational Needs Plans Surge
Metropolitan Police Consider Reform UK Probe Over Overseas Donations
Keir Starmer to Leave Parliament, Triggering By-Election
UK Treasury Weighs Windfall Taxes on Banks and Oil Companies Amid Bond Market Turmoil
Jaguar Land Rover to Cut Thousands of Jobs as UK Government Rules Out Bailout
OpenAI Unveils GPT-6 and Says: "We May Already Have Reached AGI"
Congressman Accused Andrew of Sex Crimes in the United States
Donald Trump: "I'm Glad Harry and Meghan Left the United States"
Spicy Food Is Linked to Lower Death Risk — but It Is Not a Miracle Cure
AfD Enters Saxony-Anhalt Election at 41% in Historic Test for German Politics
Gen Z Turns to Investing as America's First-Home Dream Moves Further Out of Reach
Thousands Join London March Calling for Tighter Abortion Restrictions
Institute of Directors Says Tax and Regulatory Uncertainty Still Weighs on UK Investment
Bank of England Faces Rate Dilemma as Weak Growth and Persistent Inflation Raise Stagflation Risks
Masked Anti-Immigration Protesters Block Roads to Port of Dover
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Devolution and Re-Industrialisation Agenda
British Chambers of Commerce Forecasts UK Growth of Just 1% Through 2027
UK Government Advances Bill to Tighten Rules on Overseas Political Donations
Nigel Farage Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Reform UK Donation-Law Evasion
Thousands Join Anti-Abortion March Through Central London
UK Beekeepers Call for Nationwide Tracking as Asian Hornet Sightings Increase
England Sees Sharp Rise in Property Subsidence Claims After Record Summer Heat
House of Lords Advances Financial Services Reform Bill
House of Lords Begins Detailed Scrutiny of Railways Bill and Great British Railways Plan
UK Treasury Cuts Green Book Discount Rate to Support More Regional Infrastructure Projects
Reform UK Suspends Two Senior Aides After Undercover Report on Foreign Donation Rules
×