Brazil’s World Cup 2026 campaign opened with a familiar truth dressed in unfamiliar clothes. Vinícius Júnior, wearing No 7 rather than the No 10 still held by an injured Neymar, was the conduit through which every meaningful Brazilian attack flowed on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Real Madrid forward registered a goal and an assist, completed seven of his nine attempted dribbles, and created four chances — numbers that read like a statement of intent and a warning to Carlo Ancelotti in equal measure. When Vinícius performed, Brazil looked like Brazil. When he paused, they looked like a collection of well-paid strangers.
A No 10 in everything but number
Neymar’s calf injury, sustained in a pre-tournament friendly, has reopened a question Brazilian football has been circling for three years: who actually leads this team? Ancelotti, appointed in May 2025 as the first foreign manager in the Seleção’s history, gambled on Neymar’s name recognition over the in-form claims of João Pedro, Richarlison, Savinho, Gabriel Jesus and Igor Jesus. The 34-year-old’s two seasons at Al-Hilal yielded seven appearances and a torn ACL. His return to Santos restored enough match sharpness to convince Ancelotti, but not enough to keep him on the field.
That has handed Vinícius a promotion he was already performing in everything but title. Against their opening opponents, the 25-year-old drifted infield from the left, dropped between the lines to receive from Casemiro, and twice carried possession 40 yards before releasing Raphinha down the right channel. His goal — a curling left-footed finish from the edge of the box after a one-two with Rodrygo — was the kind of moment Brazil’s coaching staff have spent the build-up insisting they no longer need to manufacture around a single player. Saturday’s evidence said otherwise.
The Ancelotti reset, one match in
Ancelotti inherited a side that had not won a knockout match at a World Cup since 2018 and had been bundled out by Croatia on penalties in Qatar. His remit from the CBF was simple: restore tactical structure, end the freelance chaos of the Tite era’s final months, and stop conceding from set pieces. Against Saturday’s opposition, the structural improvements were visible. Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães defended a high line with composure. Bruno Guimarães and Casemiro shielded the centre. The full-backs, Vanderson and Wendell, held their width rather than charging forward in tandem.
But structure alone does not score goals, and this is where the Vinícius dependency becomes both a strength and a vulnerability. Brazil generated 1.8 expected goals on Saturday; 1.1 of that figure came from sequences Vinícius either started or finished. Strip him from the data and Brazil look ordinary — a problem Ancelotti acknowledged in his post-match remarks when he conceded that “the team must learn to create without waiting for Vini to do it.”
- Vinícius: 1 goal, 1 assist, 7/9 dribbles, 4 chances created, 89% pass accuracy
- Raphinha: 0 goals, 0 assists, 2 shots off target, 1 chance created
- Rodrygo: 1 assist, 88% pass accuracy, withdrawn on 71 minutes
- Casemiro: 92% pass accuracy, 3 tackles, 2 interceptions
What it means for the road to the final
Brazil have not won the World Cup since 2002 — a 24-year drought that has now outlasted the entire careers of every player on their current roster. The 2026 edition, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, presents conditions that should favour them: familiar climate in the group-stage host cities, a 48-team format that pads the path to the knockout rounds, and a draw that avoided Argentina, France and Spain until at least the quarter-finals.
Yet history offers a sobering parallel. In 2014, on home soil, Brazil built a campaign around Neymar’s brilliance and watched it collapse the moment he was injured against Colombia. The 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany remains the most chastening result in the country’s footballing history. Ancelotti’s task is to ensure that 2026 does not repeat the pattern with a different name attached. The Italian has spoken openly about wanting Raphinha, Rodrygo and Estêvão — the 18-year-old Palmeiras prodigy who came on for the final 19 minutes — to share creative responsibility.
Saturday’s result was a win, and wins in a World Cup opener matter more than the manner of them. But the underlying numbers told a story Ancelotti will recognise from his Real Madrid years: when one player carries this much of the creative load, the margins narrow with every round. Brazil’s tournament will rise or fall on whether the rest of the squad can take the weight off Vinícius before the knockout stages arrive. On the evidence of one match in New Jersey, they are not there yet.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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