Brazilian forward Neymar Jr broke down in tears after Brazil's 3-0 win over Scotland in their final Group C match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Miami on Wednesday night.
Neymar played his first match for Brazil in three years, having last played for the Selecao in October 2023 prior to this. He came on as a second half substitute, replacing Matheus Cunha in the 76th minute.
The Santos FC player hadn't played for Brazil since October 2023 due to a series of severe knee surgeries that had repeatedly kept him out of competitive football.
Neymar Jr's comeback
On 17 May this year, the 34-year-old sustained a grade 2 right calf muscle tear during a match for Santos FC against Coritiba in the Brazilian Serie A.
Neymar is Brazil's all-time top goal scorer, with 79 goals from 129 matches. He broke Pele's record of 77 goals during a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers match against Bolivia in September 2023.
Before the match against Scotland, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti had said that Neymar was fit and available for the game.
He, however, hadn't confirmed if the former Barcelona star would start. “He is available. He trained very well this week,” Ancelotti had said. “He is fit and able, ready to play. We are very happy that he is back. He is a high-quality player," he added.
Brazil qualified for the round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following their 3-0 win over Scotland.
The Carlo Ancelotti-coached side rode on a brace from VinĂcius JĂşnior and another goal from Matheus Cunha to ease past the European outfit.
The result meant that the five-time champions topped Group C with seven points from three matches. Morocco, in second place, also finished with seven points, with only goal difference separating the two teams.
In the round of 32, Brazil will lock horns against the runner-up of Group F in Houston on Monday.
At the moment, it could be any of the Netherlands, Sweden or Japan, who are all in the race to seal the top two spots of that group. Brazil haven’t won the FIFA World Cup since beating Germany 2-0 at the 2002 final in Japan.
Scotland, on the other hand, finished third in Group C with three points and will have to wait for the other results in the tournament to find out if they qualify for the round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams.
Apart from Brazil, co-hosts Mexico, Canada and United States along with Germany, Argentina, France, Colombia, Switzerland, Morocco, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Norway have qualified for the round of 32.