Update on Neymar’s 2026 World Cup Chances As Lionel Messi Weighs in

Messi and Neymar were close friends at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, spanning six seasons together.

Lionel Messi and Neymar were teammates for six total seasons. | Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images, Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Neymar could be making the trip to North America next month after all.

Despite being devastatingly snubbed by manager Carlo Ancelotti for the most-recent international window, the 34-year-old forward is set to be included in Brazil’s preliminary 55-man list, the pool from the final 26-man squad will be selected, per Brazilian newspaper O Globo.

The preliminary list will be officially announced Monday, with the final squad to be released on May 18.

Neymar, who surpassed Pelé in 2023 as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 128 total appearances, has not appeared for the Seleção since October of that year. Ancelotti excluded him from the March friendlies against France and Croatia on the premise that he was not at his best.

“Neymar is not at 100% of his capability,” Ancelotti said before the March window. “If he can be at 100% physically, he can be there. Neymar could be at the World Cup. Neymar has to keep working, playing, showcasing his qualities and maintaining good physical condition.”

The Brazilian superstar and Barcelona legend has been plagued by injury in recent years, keeping him on the fringes of the country’s squad. It was an ACL tear back in 2023 that ended his regular international participation, and he required arthroscopy knee surgery last December, keeping him out of Santos’ first 12 matches this season.

Neymar, however, has seemingly done enough to prove himself to Ancelotti, regaining fitness since his most recent December injury, for the possibility of making his fourth career World Cup appearance.

Since his return in February, Neymar has dominated the pitch for Santos. In 12 matches, he has scored five goals and added three assists, helping his boyhood club climb the league table and playing a key role in their CONMEBOL Sudamericana outings.

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Messi Weighs in on Neymar’s World Cup Chances

Messi and Neymar played together at both FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. | Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

Messi and Neymar first shared the pitch at Barcelona, striking fear in opponents for four straight seasons (2013–17) and creating an unstoppable attacking trio with Luis Suárez for three of those. They then reunited at Paris Saint-Germain for two seasons (2021–23), playing a grand total of 206 matches together across the decade.

“I can’t be very objective, he’s a friend of mine,” Messi told Pollo Álvarez when discussing Neymar. “Obviously, I would love for him to go [to the World Cup] and for good things to happen to him because he deserves it.

“At World Cups, we always want the best players to be there, and Neymar, as long as he’s around, will always be one of them.”

Should Neymar get the call, he could find himself on the opposite side of the center circle to Messi’s Argentina, with the South American giants potentially meeting in the semifinals.

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