FIFA World Cup: Neymar cried bitterly as soon as Brazil was eliminated from the World Cup, announced his retirement and said – everything is over now

By Samira Vishwas On Jul 8, 2026

FIFA World Cup: Brazilian star footballer Neymar has announced his retirement from international football. After the 2-1 defeat against Norway in the pre-quarterfinals (Round of 16) of the FIFA World Cup 2026, an emotional Neymar said that now his journey with the national team is over.

34-year-old Neymar said after the match, ‘I tried my best. Now everything is over. I started from here and am ending it here. He was referring to America’s MetLife Stadium, where he played his first international match for Brazil against the United States in 2010. After 16 years, his dream of winning the World Cup on the same ground was also shattered.

Thank you Neymar.
If you had left him playing from the beginning, this game would have had a different destiny. Value! @neymarjr 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/yNGMseed8w
— Julio Schneider 🇧🇷🇺🇸 (@juliovschneider) July 5, 2026

Brazil was considered a strong contender for the title this time too. But Norway made a big upset and threw them out of the tournament. Neymar scored the only goal for Brazil in the match on a penalty. But could not save the team from defeat.

Neymar asked the Norwegian goalkeeper to pick the side for the penalty, scored the goal, and mocked him right in his face. pic.twitter.com/zGJyZSmtU9
— Ney (@Neycromancer) July 5, 2026

This defeat was even more painful for Neymar because due to injuries he had been out of the national team for a long time in the last few years. It was believed that the 2026 World Cup would be the last chance of his career, in which he could lead Brazil to its sixth World Cup.

Neymar is leaving behind a wonderful but incomplete legacy. He scored 80 goals in 129 matches for Brazil, becoming the country’s all-time leading goalscorer in men’s football. He also overtook Pelé’s official goal record.

However, he never got the World Cup trophy. His campaign in the 2014 World Cup was ended midway due to injury. After this, Brazil had to face a historic defeat of 1-7 at the hands of Germany in the semi-finals. In 2018, the team lost to Belgium in the quarterfinals, while in 2022, Croatia eliminated Brazil in a penalty shootout. Now in 2026, Norway has ended their last hope also.

Although Neymar won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the Rio 2016 Olympic gold medal for Brazil, the World Cup trophy remained the biggest unfulfilled wish of his career. In such a situation, his retirement is considered to be the end of a memorable chapter of Brazilian football.