Sao Paulo, May 18, 2026, 17:08 BRT
Neymar’s last shot to impress before Brazil named its World Cup squad spiraled into confusion on Sunday. Santos claimed a substitution error saw the wrong player pulled during their 3-0 defeat to Coritiba at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena. While the 34-year-old forward was being treated for a calf problem, the fourth official’s board lit up with his No. 10 — signaling him for substitution.
The odd refereeing incident ended up carrying weight far beyond a single league game. Carlo Ancelotti was set to unveil Brazil’s 26-man World Cup roster Monday at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro. Neymar, sidelined from the national team since a knee injury last October, is pushing for a spot at his fourth World Cup.
Ancelotti made it clear Neymar’s inclusion hinges on fitness and form, leaving no room for sentiment. “The decision will be 100% professional,” he told Reuters last week. Only Neymar’s footballing performance will count, Ancelotti said. Reuters
Santos says they intended to sub off Gonzalo Escobar, No. 31, for Robinho Jr. But when Neymar’s number appeared on the board, Robinho came on, and the change was locked in—Neymar couldn’t get back on. He protested to the referee, picked up a yellow card in the process.
Neymar said afterward he’d initially requested to come off after picking up a knock in the first half, but then told coach Cuca he was fine to continue since Escobar was struggling too. “I didn’t know I’d been subbed out,” Neymar told reporters in the mixed zone, describing the officiating mistake as “very serious.” ge
Neymar, for his part, redirected the focus to his own condition rather than the club’s management. “Physically, I feel great,” he told reporters post-match, stressing he’d done his “absolute best” despite battling injuries for years and facing tough critics. Reuters
Santos took to X, calling out what he described as an “inexplicable error” by the fourth official—one he said was obvious from both the broadcast and the substitution slip. Still, coach Cuca wasn’t pinning the loss on that blunder. “It would be unfair to blame the defeat on that episode,” he told reporters. Reuters
The documentation, though, is messy. According to the Brazilian football confederation’s match summary, referee Paulo Cesar Zanovelli noted in his report that Santos assistant Cesar Sampaio gave a clear verbal and gestural go-ahead for Neymar’s substitution—only to later submit paperwork listing a different player number, CNN Brasil said.
Santos took a hit both on the scoreboard and in the standings. Breno Lopes found the net twice, Josue chipped in with another, and Coritiba jumped to sixth with 23 points. Santos, meanwhile, remains 16th, still just a single point clear of relegation at 18.
Neymar made Brazil’s provisional 55-man list—required by FIFA before teams cut down to a final 26—but that doesn’t guarantee him a ticket. Last week, ESPN Brasil said Ancelotti’s staff still weren’t fully convinced about Neymar’s fitness. Meanwhile, Agencia Brasil pointed out that Matheus Cunha has featured in every Ancelotti squad so far, underlining just how fierce the battle is for attacking places.
Brazil kick off their World Cup run June 13 facing Morocco, joined in Group C by Haiti and Scotland. Should Neymar make the squad, Sunday’s clash will likely be remembered as a minor controversy; if not, that moment could end up as the final snapshot of a comeback that never fully took hold.
