When will Neymar play in World Cup 2026? Brazil fans await update as NFL MVP icon meets soccer star during Morocco football match

American hip-hop superstar Travis Scott and National Football League (NFL) icon Tom Brady met Neymar ahead of the FIFA World Cup match between five-time champions Brazil and Morocco and were in attendance for the exciting clash. Before the match, Neymar, who is on the bench due to his calf issues, was seen shaking hands and hugging the 'Goosebumps' hitmaker, Travis and the seven-time Super Bowl champion, five-time NFL MVP Brady. A story of the same was posted on FIFA World Cup's official Instagram handle, which was also reposted by Brady.

Coming to the match, at half-time, the match sits poised at 1-1, with a sensational strike from Ismael Saibari breaking the stalemate in the 21st minute and giving Morocco a lead. Later, it was a bullet-like finish into the top-corner from Vinicius Jr in the 32nd minute that levelled the scores for Brazil.

Neymar was a doubt for their opener after suffering a calf injury in the lead-up to the tournament, and has now been ruled out for the match. Brazil will next take on Haiti on June 19 before concluding their group-stage campaign against Scotland on June 24, with Ancelotti expressing confidence that Neymar could be available for both fixtures.


Brazil and Morocco are set to face each other at the World Cup for only the second time, with their previous meeting coming in the 1998 group stage when Brazil registered a 3-0 victory in a match that saw Ronaldo Nazario and Rivaldo score their first World Cup goals.

Brazil have historically dominated against African teams at the World Cup, winning seven of their eight encounters, with their only defeat coming against Cameroon in 2022, when they lost 1-0.