Brazil top the group

Brazil beat Scotland 3–0 yesterday to round off their group stage campaign at the 2026 World Cup.

Having also beaten Haiti 3–0 and drawn 1–1 with Morocco, the Brazilian national team – five-time world champions – finished top of Group C and secured a place in the next round, where they will face the runners-up from Group F.

At this stage, Brazil’s most likely opponent in the next round, which will be played on Monday, is Japan.

The two sides have met 14 times, with Brazil holding a commanding advantage: 11 wins, two draws and just one defeat. Interestingly, Japan’s sole victory came in the teams’ most recent encounter, in October last year, when Japan came from behind to win 3–2.

Even so, Brazil go into the match brimming with confidence. The team scored seven goals in three group stage matches and topped their group. And this is hardly news: the Brazilian national team have topped their group in every World Cup since 1982.

Neymar’s historic return

One of the names to go down in history last night was Neymar.

At 34, the number 10 is already the all-time top scorer in the history of the Brazilian national team, with 79 goals. But he had not played for Brazil since October 2023 – a period marked by a series of injuries – and had not yet taken to the pitch for Carlo Ancelotti’s side in this World Cup.

Neymar came on in the 31st minute of the second half and received a huge ovation from the crowd as soon as he stepped onto the pitch.

Despite his limited time on the pitch, he made his mark on the game. The Santos star created three goal-scoring chances – the highest number recorded in a World Cup match by a player who came on as late as he did since another Brazilian, Ricardinho, who created four chances after coming on in the 38th minute of the second half against Ghana in 2006. Neymar also had one shot on goal, but the Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn made the save.

The Scots breathed a sigh of relief at Gunn’s save. After all, in the last meeting between the two sides, in 2011, a 19-year-old Neymar scored both goals in Brazil’s 2–0 victory at the Emirates Stadium in London.

Yesterday’s appearance also placed the nine-time Ballon d'Or nominee in a very select group: that of Brazilians who have played in four World Cups.

Brazilians who have played in four World Cups:

  • Djalma Santos (1954, 1958, 1962 and 1966)

  • Pelé (1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970)

  • Cafu (1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006)

  • Neymar (2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026)

Vinícius takes centre stage

But despite Neymar’s historic performance, the star of the night was, once again, Vinícius Júnior.

The Real Madrid winger is in fine form for the Seleção in this World Cup and scored two of Brazil’s goals in yesterday’s victory. For the third match in a row, he was named Man of the Match by FIFA.

And that wasn’t all. Vinícius also became only the fifth Brazilian in history to score in all three group stage matches of a men’s World Cup.

Brazilians who have scored in all three group stage matches at a World Cup:

  • Jairzinho (1970)

  • Romário (1994)

  • Ronaldo (2002)

  • Rivaldo (2002)

  • Vinícius Júnior (2026)

There is cause for optimism for Brazilian fans when looking at the other names on the list: on the three previous occasions this has happened, Brazil went on to lift the trophy (1970, 1994 and 2002).

Vinícius has now scored five goals in World Cups – the same number as Brazilian legends such as Garrincha, Zico and Romário.

Cunha’s goal-scoring instinct

Matheus Cunha scored the third goal of the night and joined the list of Manchester United players with the most goals in a single World Cup.

Manchester United players with the most goals in a single World Cup:

  • Robin van Persie (Netherlands, 2014) – 4 goals

  • Romelu Lukaku (Belgium, 2018) – 4 goals

  • Bobby Charlton (England, 1966) – 3 goals

  • Jesper Olsen (Denmark, 1986) – 3 goals

  • Marcus Rashford (England, 2022) – 3 goals

  • Matheus Cunha (Brazil, 2026) – 3 goals

Cunha also became the first Brazilian since Philippe Coutinho, who was nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2017, to score in his first two starts at a World Cup.

The importance of Bruno

The assist for the goal came from Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimarães, who had also provided the pass for Vinícius’s second goal of the night – the Real Madrid forward’s first career header.

As a result, Guimarães became the first Brazilian to record three assists in the national team’s first three World Cup matches since 1966. He also became the first Brazilian to record more than one assist in a single World Cup match since Kaká, winner of the 2007 ‘Ballon d'Or’, who provided two against Ivory Coast in 2010.

Rayan’s impact

Another standout performance last night came from Bournemouth’s Rayan.

The 19-year-old winger came into Ancelotti’s starting line-up in place of Raphinha – a nominee for the ‘Ballon d’Or’ award – who suffered a thigh muscle injury against Haiti.

As a result, Rayan became the first teenager to start a World Cup match for Brazil since Marco Antônio, of Fluminense, in 1970.

The youngster, who made a name for himself at Vasco da Gama and helped Bournemouth secure their first-ever qualification for European competitions this year, put in an impressive performance for the Seleção yesterday.

Just seven minutes into the game, he was already making a decisive impact: he pressed high up the pitch, forced a serious mistake from defender Scott McKenna and provided the assist for Vinícius’s first goal of the match.

On the other hand, fans’ expectations are growing for more playing time for the 19-year-old Endrick, who has seen little action in the tournament so far – just over 30 minutes to date.

With an eye on the knockout stages

At the end of the group stage, Brazil have recorded 41 shots, 19 of which were on target, scoring seven goals and conceding just one.

All this without dominating possession – averaging 54 per cent across the three matches – relying instead on quick, lethal counter-attacks that created clear-cut chances.

With this result, Brazil have qualified for the knockout stages for the 15th consecutive World Cup.

It is Brazil’s ninth victory by a margin of at least three goals in a World Cup in the 21st century, the highest number of any national team.