Will Neymar, Messi, and Ronaldo play in the 2026 World Cup?

[LUCKMCFLY]

I agree that scoring again after a difficult period gives any player a big confidence boost, and the “I’m back” celebration was probably his way of showing he’s feeling like himself again. It looked more like a personal statement than anything aimed at other players.
I don’t think it was about chasing Messi or Kane or trying to prove he’s better than them. Ronaldo has always said his biggest competition is with himself. The celebration was more about showing that he’s still capable of performing at a high level despite what people have been saying, not that he’s back to compete with specific players.

You know, sometimes there are renowned players, like Saltan, Rooney, Thierry Henry, and all they do is criticize CR7. How far can their envy and their own failure as players go? I think they should have more empathy. CR7, at 41 years old, is competing at the highest level. They didn't do that; they only got one step, and that's it. That's what personally makes me angry.

[Franctoshi]

Correct me if I am wrong, but Neymar was not even at the bench for the games was he? I mean in technically he wasn't, of course his body was there, but he was not a bench player so he couldn't even join the game.

Feels like there is a big possibility that he is not fit to play at all, and he was brought there for totally emotional reasons but it doesn't look like he could actually play anymore. Which is sad, I would say Pedro would have helped them a lot more, at least he would be ready to play.

He actually came on and played for about 15 minutes. You could tell he was struggling though, he's clearly not at his best anymore. Still, he showed he has that special something. He delivered a few really good corners, but nobody managed to finish them. Pedro is definitely faster and in much better shape, but you have to understand that Neymar is basically Brazil, if you know what i mean.

Maybe  who knows if he was brought by Anceloti to this world cup to act as a senior coaching player to encourage and guide the younger players this world cup tournament and in their training and not mainly to participate alone, but also to witness what maybe his last participation in the world cup competition till the end of his football career, after seeing that Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will be present at the world cup.

[rdluffy]

Cristiano Ronaldo called up
Messi called up
Neymar called up

Cristiano Ronaldo played
Messi played
Neymar played

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal
Messi scored a goal
Neymar scored a goal: ...loading

Hehe, the only thing missing is for Neymar to score a goal to complete the list above
Do you think he might complete it against Japan?
Maybe he could play half time in the very next game

[yudi09]

Cristiano Ronaldo called up
Messi called up
Neymar called up

Cristiano Ronaldo played
Messi played
Neymar played

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal
Messi scored a goal
Neymar scored a goal: ...loading

Hehe, the only thing missing is for Neymar to score a goal to complete the list above
Do you think he might complete it against Japan?
Maybe he could play half time in the very next game

Will they play in the World Cup? The answer is that all three were called up and played, although one of them saw limited playing time. Interestingly, when it comes to scoring goals, only Messi and Ronaldo have managed to do so; Neymar hasn’t yet.

In the Round of 32 match, Neymar won’t play the full game; he’ll only be brought in (if Ancelotti decides) as a substitute in the second half with very little time remaining.
The match against Japan requires players with good physical conditioning—something Neymar lacks.

[Woodie]

Cristiano Ronaldo called up
Messi called up
Neymar called up

Cristiano Ronaldo played
Messi played
Neymar played

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal
Messi scored a goal
Neymar scored a goal: ...loading

Hehe, the only thing missing is for Neymar to score a goal to complete the list above
Do you think he might complete it against Japan?
Maybe he could play half time in the very next game

I have seen both Messi and Ronaldo in action, Messi looking sharp as always while Ronaldo still a little rusty when in front of goal but shows signs of being a striker.

As of Neymar, the last update I saw was that he picked up a knock in training but to see that the lad actually played is great news as I thought he developed cold 🥶 feet and was scared to play on the big stage.. let me watch some football highlights of the Brazilian games

[B-BossMan]

Cristiano Ronaldo called up
Messi called up
Neymar called up

Cristiano Ronaldo played
Messi played
Neymar played

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal
Messi scored a goal
Neymar scored a goal: ...loading

Hehe, the only thing missing is for Neymar to score a goal to complete the list above
Do you think he might complete it against Japan?
Maybe he could play half time in the very next game

Nermar will also score goals soon Dude, I think he just returned from Injury and many people were expected him to comes back with full force of consistency and more fresh talent. Although even the matches that was played on his absence was quite okay because even without him Brazil will still performance very accurately and with it will be more better again.

Nermar is also a player respected much on his performance his talent work. I trust and I believe that Neymar will perform as expected with time. Messi has done very well in this season FIFA world cup tournament and I must thump him up on his great performances, same goes to Cristiano Ronaldo foe his great work also this season.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Nermar will also score goals soon Dude, I think he just returned from Injury and many people were expected him to comes back with full force of consistency and more fresh talent. Although even the matches that was played on his absence was quite okay because even without him Brazil will still performance very accurately and with it will be more better again.

Nermar is also a player respected much on his performance his talent work. I trust and I believe that Neymar will perform as expected with time. Messi has done very well in this season FIFA world cup tournament and I must thump him up on his great performances, same goes to Cristiano Ronaldo foe his great work also this season.

Not so sure about that. I mean this guy's time is simply over. He only plays for a weak team in Brazil now, coming off an injury and never seems to recover. If he actually made a goal this WC I would be very surprised to be honest. Of course anything can happen but I just don't see it.
I also believe he will retire from the national team after this world cup, he is 34 years old now so at the next cup he would be 38, what else is there to win for him anyway.

[letteredhub]

Snip

We all knew what it was from the beginning. Neymar hasn’t been 100% fit in over five years, despite that, many fans still wanted Neymar to be in the World Cup anyway. I don’t expect Ancelotti to start Neymar in any of the games but I would like to see him get some minutes as the tournament progresses.

No matter what their reasons for wanting Neymar to be in the Brazilian squad it's not lending a help to the team right now which should have being more preferable he wasn't added to the squad, because am not sure he might play a single game before Brazil probably get eliminated at some point. This, making his presence in the squad not felt boh on the pitch and outside, a spot that a young vibrant star should have rose on from.

[Youngrebel]

No matter what their reasons for wanting Neymar to be in the Brazilian squad it's not lending a help to the team right now which should have being more preferable he wasn't added to the squad, because am not sure he might play a single game before Brazil probably get eliminated at some point. This, making his presence in the squad not felt boh on the pitch and outside, a spot that a young vibrant star should have rose on from.

I don’t think Neymar presence is completely useles tho I understand what you are talking about but even if he is not fully fit to play most of the games his experience, and influence in the dressing room can still be of big benefit the upcoming young player and if he medically cleared and capable of contributing most of the times, then keeping him in the squad makes more sense.

[tiCeR]

Nermar will also score goals soon Dude, I think he just returned from Injury and many people were expected him to comes back with full force of consistency and more fresh talent. Although even the matches that was played on his absence was quite okay because even without him Brazil will still performance very accurately and with it will be more better again.

Nermar is also a player respected much on his performance his talent work. I trust and I believe that Neymar will perform as expected with time. Messi has done very well in this season FIFA world cup tournament and I must thump him up on his great performances, same goes to Cristiano Ronaldo foe his great work also this season.

Not so sure about that. I mean this guy's time is simply over. He only plays for a weak team in Brazil now, coming off an injury and never seems to recover. If he actually made a goal this WC I would be very surprised to be honest. Of course anything can happen but I just don't see it.
I also believe he will retire from the national team after this world cup, he is 34 years old now so at the next cup he would be 38, what else is there to win for him anyway.

Looking at it from a different perspective, I think mots of us would have agreed that the time of Messi is over too, but it isn't. Or at least at a World Cup he can still bring his game and score against other nations and I think he is not done yet if he stays healthy throughout the World Cup. I agree though that there was a major difference because Messi has played a good season whereas Neymar was injured most of the time. I don't know why Ancelotti decided to take him to the World Cup, maybe he wanted to avoid public pressure because Neymar is some sort of symbol for Brazil? I know he never really brought his best game at these tournaments and yet people wanted to see him being part of the team.

In my opinion his time is over for sure, he has had a different focus. Messi still plays because he wants to win, Neymar mostly played to show his brand new hairstyle and fancy new shoes.

[MorganaX]

No matter what their reasons for wanting Neymar to be in the Brazilian squad it's not lending a help to the team right now which should have being more preferable he wasn't added to the squad, because am not sure he might play a single game before Brazil probably get eliminated at some point. This, making his presence in the squad not felt boh on the pitch and outside, a spot that a young vibrant star should have rose on from.

I don’t think Neymar presence is completely useles tho I understand what you are talking about but even if he is not fully fit to play most of the games his experience, and influence in the dressing room can still be of big benefit the upcoming young player and if he medically cleared and capable of contributing most of the times, then keeping him in the squad makes more sense.

Before now I would argued that his called up was something meaningful and even till now am opened to change my mind but the performance I saw him put the last time ancelloti introduced him to the game showed that he is still suffering a little bit form  the after effects of injury because he was very slow on the ball and was trying to be very extra careful not to lose the ball which made him lose control alot so except he ups his game next match it will be looking as if he call up was actually a waste of time .

[letteredhub]

No matter what their reasons for wanting Neymar to be in the Brazilian squad it's not lending a help to the team right now which should have being more preferable he wasn't added to the squad, because am not sure he might play a single game before Brazil probably get eliminated at some point. This, making his presence in the squad not felt boh on the pitch and outside, a spot that a young vibrant star should have rose on from.

I don’t think Neymar presence is completely useles tho I understand what you are talking about but even if he is not fully fit to play most of the games his experience, and influence in the dressing room can still be of big benefit the upcoming young player and if he medically cleared and capable of contributing most of the times, then keeping him in the squad makes more sense.

In such a big tournament as the World Cup which is greeted as the no.1 football tournament in the world i do believe that whatever influence any player presence may have in the team is to be mostly felt useful on the field, the motivation would seem natural if he was playing alongside other team mates. On seeing Neymar's name making the list for Brazil, I was one of those that believed before the tournament started that his presence in the team was going to motivating with his experience as well, but right now, all that appears to be no more after knowing he may not even play a single game for his country due to persistent injuries.

[jaberwock]

Neymar "played" as much as he was basically given a farewell if you ask me. From here on out there will be more serious games and I think they are not going to use him .Don't get me wrong he is not a bad player but dude is breaking every single time he plays and his body can't handle it anymore. That famous injury to his back was the start of all of this and it caused him to just keep getting more and more injured.

At this point he looks quite checked out, and he still needs money because he did not take care of his finances so he still plays, but I bet you that he will retire as soon as he can.

[Rabata]

Neymar "played" as much as he was basically given a farewell if you ask me. From here on out there will be more serious games and I think they are not going to use him .Don't get me wrong he is not a bad player but dude is breaking every single time he plays and his body can't handle it anymore. That famous injury to his back was the start of all of this and it caused him to just keep getting more and more injured.

At this point he looks quite checked out, and he still needs money because he did not take care of his finances so he still plays, but I bet you that he will retire as soon as he can.

I agree with your statement. I think Neymar should retire early. His physical condition, if he gets a more serious injury, may have to completely cut off his relationship with the world of football. Neymar was never a bad player. But his luck was not with him. His body is limiting his talent due to that serious back injury at a very young age. World Cup football is something special for everyone, but also very scary for some. Neymar's performance is impressive especially ball controlling power, surprising the defense line and scoring goals all are fantastic. But his injury did not allow him to show that beauty for long. Currently, looking at his physical condition, it is understood that if he enters the field in a very high-pressure match, it can cause great harm. So I think, Neymar's retirement from the game would be a good decision.

[BitBakerr1]

Cristiano Ronaldo called up
Messi called up
Neymar called up

Cristiano Ronaldo played
Messi played
Neymar played

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal
Messi scored a goal
Neymar scored a goal: ...loading

Hehe, the only thing missing is for Neymar to score a goal to complete the list above
Do you think he might complete it against Japan?
Maybe he could play half time in the very next game

Among this 3 players the only player having a very wonderful time in this World Cup is Messi, he has scored 6 goals now and Ronaldo has scored 2, I think the person with the worst time in this World Cup tournament is Neymar Junior, he has not even played or given the opportunity to play enough minutes and he has zero goals right now and with the way things are going I don’t think his going to score any goal except by the special grace of God.

[nelson4lov]

Neymar "played" as much as he was basically given a farewell if you ask me. From here on out there will be more serious games and I think they are not going to use him .Don't get me wrong he is not a bad player but dude is breaking every single time he plays and his body can't handle it anymore. That famous injury to his back was the start of all of this and it caused him to just keep getting more and more injured.

At this point he looks quite checked out, and he still needs money because he did not take care of his finances so he still plays, but I bet you that he will retire as soon as he can.

The idea was not for Neymar to have a massive impact on Brazil's performance in this world cup. It was for the polymarket market about Neymar playing that was paying close to 200% at the time OP posted it. At that time, I think most countries including Brazil haven't published their squad list. Well, it's a good thing for everyone who took the bet because it paid out really well whether or not Neymar makes any impactful contribution.

[sotelorene]

Cristiano Ronaldo called up
Messi called up
Neymar called up

Cristiano Ronaldo played
Messi played
Neymar played

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal
Messi scored a goal
Neymar scored a goal: ...loading

Hehe, the only thing missing is for Neymar to score a goal to complete the list above
Do you think he might complete it against Japan?
Maybe he could play half time in the very next game

Among this 3 players the only player having a very wonderful time in this World Cup is Messi, he has scored 6 goals now and Ronaldo has scored 2, I think the person with the worst time in this World Cup tournament is Neymar Junior, he has not even played or given the opportunity to play enough minutes and he has zero goals right now and with the way things are going I don’t think his going to score any goal except by the special grace of God.

Initially, I never thought Neymar Jr will play this world cup because of the injury but I was shocked to hear that he played some days ago and they won the game. However, if we are talking about players in the world cup I don't think we have to include Neymar Jr in the conversation anymore because that injury will disturb him and as it is going currently, Lionel Messi is leading with goals and I heard he has broken record already and Mbappe is behind him again this season.

[Ever-young]

Among this 3 players the only player having a very wonderful time in this World Cup is Messi, he has scored 6 goals now and Ronaldo has scored 2, I think the person with the worst time in this World Cup tournament is Neymar Junior, he has not even played or given the opportunity to play enough minutes and he has zero goals right now and with the way things are going I don’t think his going to score any goal except by the special grace of God.

That's right, let's see how it goes though, the game is still on and Ronaldo can still be able to score more goals because his dreams its to win the World Cup, which he has been trying and I think before he will want to retire, he will want to win this title, as Messi its giving him tough time by having more scores than him and as for Neymar, just as you said its only by the special grace of God will he either play or score any goal because he still waiting for his moment to come.

[Distraction]

Ronaldo couldn't maintain a similar performance against Colombia... I wonder one thing also about him. Will Roberto Martinez use him in the starting eleven as of knockout stage too? 

I have seen many examples before that his being in the substitutes after the group stage is completed. Their next competitor is a challenging one also: Croatia. I think Ramos might start instead this time.

[puloweh555]

Will they play in the World Cup? The answer is that all three were called up and played, although one of them saw limited playing time. Interestingly, when it comes to scoring goals, only Messi and Ronaldo have managed to do so; Neymar hasn’t yet.

In the Round of 32 match, Neymar won’t play the full game; he’ll only be brought in (if Ancelotti decides) as a substitute in the second half with very little time remaining.
The match against Japan requires players with good physical conditioning—something Neymar lacks.

For Ronaldo, Messi, and even Neymar this will be their last World Cup. So far, Ronaldo and Messi have scored goals in the World Cup, while Neymar has only played for 25 minutes as a substitute. However, if you look closely, Brazil's game has changed significantly since he's still a quality player. This can be seen in those 25 minutes he can see the game when to speed up and slow down to break down defenses, and he's also created several chances. So, sometimes, star players don't necessarily have goals or assists, but rather how they see the game and how quickly they can break down defenses.

Of course, Neymar isn't the same as he used to be, sprinting and dribbling past opponents, but his technique and role on the pitch are still reliable. Moreover, he's adept at finding space and creating opportunities for his teammates. Essentially, he still has an influence on Brazil game he can still change the rhythm of the game and make opponents uncomfortable. This is what we can see from Neymar performance in 25 minutes against Scotland. So, despite all the talent Brazil possesses, Neymar will still bring something different. Sometimes a short appearance is enough to make a big difference for Brazil, so I think even though he can't play fully, I'm sure Ancelotti will still use Neymar as his supersub when the team is stuck, especially in the next match against Japan in the round of 32.