Neymar is left out of Brazil squad but assures he will return: When was the last time he was called up?

At Monday’s press conference, Carlo Ancelotti named his 26-man squad for the Brazil North American tour, which includes friendlies against France and Croatia. It serves as preparation for the 2026 World Cup, where Neymar Jr was left out of the list but assured he will work to return, raising the question of when he last played for Brazil.

The last time Neymar Jr was called up by Brazil was just over a year ago, on March 6, 2025. On that occasion, then head coach Dorival Junior included him in the squad for the South American qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina. His return generated major expectations, marking his official comeback after nearly 18 months out due to a serious knee injury.

Despite being called up in March 2025, Neymar did not log any minutes in those matches. After the loss against Argentina in Buenos Aires, a result that led to Dorival’s departure, the player returned to his club to continue his physical recovery. Since then, under Ancelotti, Neymar has not appeared in any official squad list.

When was the last time he played a match?

Meanwhile, the last time Neymar played an official match for Brazil was on October 17, 2023, against Uruguay at Estadio Centenario in World Cup qualifying.

That night proved devastating for the Brazilian star, as before halftime, he suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee following an unfortunate collision. Brazil lost that match 2-0.

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What did Neymar say about not being included?

Following the announcement, Neymar attended a Kings League match for his team Furia against DesimpedN in São Paulo, and while in the president’s box, he grabbed a microphone to address his exclusion directly: “I’m going to speak out here because I can’t just let this slide. Obviously, I’m upset and sad that I wasn’t called up.“

Despite the disappointment, Neymar made clear his determination to keep pushing for a place at his fourth World Cup. “But the focus remains, day after day, training after training, game after game. The focus remains. We’re going to achieve our goal. There is still the final squad selection to come,” said Neymar.