Neymar wants to play 2026 World Cup under Ancelotti

 Neymar wants to play 2026 World Cup under Ancelotti

Neymar and Ancelotti(Twitter)

Will Neymar play in the 2026 World Cup? The Brazilian star will be 31 years old by then. Three years later, when the World Cup is held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, he will be 34 years old. Many players have played in the World Cup at that age. The question of whether Neymar will play in the 2026 World Cup arises due to one of his statements after the Qatar World Cup.

After Brazil's elimination from the quarter-finals of the Qatar World Cup in December, Neymar had said that he didn't know if he would play another World Cup. Six months after that disappointment, the Brazilian star expressed his desire for the 2026 World Cup, stating his own wishes. He wants to play in the World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Neymar gave an interview on Band Sports, a Brazilian news channel, yesterday. He had a busy schedule at his own institution, Neymar Junior Institute, earlier in the day. Nearly 900 guests were invited to the event held in Sao Paulo, including many celebrities. The national team's goalkeeper Alisson Becker was also present at the event. It was during that interview that Neymar spoke about the possibility of playing in the 2026 World Cup, saying, "If God wants, I will play."

Brazil is planning for the 2026 World Cup. However, the biggest obstacle has not yet been overcome. After Brazil's defeat in the quarter-finals of the Qatar World Cup, Tite stepped down from his position as coach. Since then, the interim coach Ramon Meneses has been leading the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). And during this time, they are trying to convince Carlo Ancelotti.

Real Madrid coach Ancelotti wants to stay at the club until 2024. He wants to finish his contract with Real Madrid before considering other options. Brazilian media outlet Globo had previously reported that Ancelotti had verbally agreed to join the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation). CBF was also willing to wait for the Italian coach for a year. Therefore, if the information from the Brazilian media is accurate, Ancelotti could be seen as the coach of Brazil in 2024.

That is a matter for the distant future, so let's not dwell on it. The possibility of Ancelotti becoming the coach of Brazil has been the subject of numerous reports in the country's media almost every day. Neymar was also asked about this matter. PSG star Neymar heard about it and understood that Ancelotti wants to coach under him in the 2026 World Cup, saying, "Brazil would benefit from having a foreign coach. Ancelotti is someone who has won everything. He will definitely teach us a lot."

Real Madrid star Rodrigo, who was present at Neymar's charity event, also spoke to Band Sports Channel about Ancelotti. Rodrigo knows Ancelotti well because of him being Real's coach. Regarding him being the coach of the national team, Rodrigo said, "I can't say much about it. Because I don't know much about this subject. But I know that he is ahead of everyone in the national team's plans. The president and the players also want him. Vinicius, Militao (both Real players) and I have known him for a long time. Getting him would be very important. But nothing is certain yet. Hopefully, after the end of his contract (with Real), he will join our national team."