2026 World Cup: Casemiro Confirms Neymar's Participation

In a recent interview, Manchester United midfielder Casemiro confirmed that Neymar will be available for Brazil at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Although Neymar is expected to miss two to three weeks due to a right calf strain, which will likely keep him sidelined during the warm-up friendlies ahead of the tournament, Casemiro emphasized Neymar's importance to the team.

"Every time I come here, I have to talk about him," Casemiro remarked. "It was actually good that the doctor came here so there wouldn’t be so many questions about him. Of course, no player likes to be injured, but I hope he is healthy enough to play; we need everyone.

"The evolution goes day by day, and we are anxiously waiting for all players to be available. Everyone is important, including Neymar."

Despite Neymar's injury concerns, Casemiro rejected speculation that the forward cannot lead the Selecao at the 2026 World Cup. He stated, "That’s you saying it, that he won’t be the protagonist." Casemiro acknowledged Neymar's well-known capabilities on the field, indicating that all players want to have protagonist roles during the tournament.

Casemiro added, "He is taking care of the injury; he wants to get back to training first. It has to be in stages. Get healthy again, get back to playing, and then think about being the protagonist. Think about health."

As Brazil prepares for the World Cup, they look forward to seeing Neymar on the pitch and hope for a timely recovery.