Neymar is back and Brazil's camp is relaxed — a contrast to a Japan side missing Kubo

Neymar is back, and the mood is light

Neymar's voice has returned to Brazil's training base in New Jersey. "Where's Igor Thiago's present?" he joked on the 26th, needling a teammate who turned a year older that day as he walked onto the pitch. At one point he draped an arm around Carlo Ancelotti and spoke into his ear. It was the relaxed scene of a squad that had just beaten Scotland 3-0 to win Group C (Terra/Estadao).

Part of that lightness is Neymar himself. Sidelined for more than a month by swelling in his right calf, the No. 10 made his tournament debut against Scotland (June 24, Miami), coming on for Matheus Cunha midway through the second half for about 20 minutes. Ancelotti is said to see him as a "false nine" operating closer to goal. "Neymar can play 90 minutes. I can play 90 minutes too, walking," the coach joked the day before (Placar).

Ancelotti can finally name the same XI

There is another telling detail in Brazil's preparation: for the first time since he took over in May 2025, Ancelotti can keep the same starting lineup. He has used 15 different XIs so far, but after the Scotland win, Rayan is expected to hold Raphinha's spot alongside Vinicius Junior and Matheus Cunha (Terra/Estadao).

Raphinha himself misses the Japan match with a right-thigh muscle injury; the best case is a round-of-16 return (July 5), more realistically the quarter-finals (July 11). A settled first XI, with the returning Neymar kept on the bench as a second-half weapon — that looks like how Brazil will enter the Japan game.

"You need a strong heart" — no complacency

The Selecao are not simply at ease, though. After the Scotland match, Ancelotti opened his press conference with: "It's knockout football now. You need a strong heart." On Japan he said all three possible Group F opponents had quality and that "Japan, especially before the World Cup, had a very fine result in the friendlies." That "fine result" was the match in Tokyo last October, when Brazil led 2-0 and lost 3-2 — the first defeat to Japan in their history (Placar).

Japan, meanwhile, prepare without their attacking pivot. Takefusa Kubo continues to rehab the left knee he hurt against the Netherlands and is likely to miss the Brazil game; the team began work in a small group before heading to Houston (Gekisaka). Japan's all-time record against Brazil is one win, two draws and 11 losses (Soccer King). The 15th meeting kicks off in the early hours of June 30 Japan time (June 29 local) at NRG Stadium in Houston.