Does his club now want to get rid of him?
Injured again: Neymar’s World Cup dream probably shattered
November 26, 2025 – 9:28 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The former superstar will no longer be able to play a game this year. And his national team comeback, including participation in the World Cup, is also becoming a long way off.
The hopes of taking part in the 2026 World Cup continue to dwindle: Neymar will be missing from FC Santos again – especially at the end of the season. As Globo Esporte reports, medical examinations on Tuesday revealed a meniscus injury in the knee. The 33-year-old will therefore miss the last three games in the Série A.
Neymar had already missed the duel against Internacional (1-1) on Monday due to injury. Since tearing his cruciate ligament in October 2023, the offensive player has not found his old form. Injuries keep putting him out of action. Since his return to boyhood club Santos at the beginning of the year, he has been sidelined three times due to thigh problems and has missed 15 games as a result.
His comeback to the Brazilian national team was also canceled in March due to injury. The Seleção only have two friendly matches left before the World Cup in March 2026. It remains to be seen whether Neymar will be fit in time by then – as will his possible appearance at the start of the new season in mid-January in the Campeonato Paulista.
National coach Carlo Ancelotti recently expressed caution: “Neymar is on the list of players who could be at the World Cup. Now there are still six months until the final list. We have to watch him and the others so as not to make any mistakes in the final list,” said the Italian. However, the prerequisite is top form.
But Neymar hardly offers any arguments in terms of sport. In 25 competitive games he scored seven goals and three assists – in the league there were only four goals in 17 appearances. Santos is in the middle of a relegation battle. With three rounds to go, the traditional club is only one point above the line, but has only won one of the last eight games.