Nobody else has five stars on their chest: Bruno Guimarães

Sports Desk

Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes has said the national team deserves more respect as it prepares to launch its bid for a record sixth FIFA World Cup title.

The Seleção last won the World Cup in 2002, securing their fifth title. Since then, Brazil have been eliminated in the quarterfinals in four of the last five World Cups. Their best run came in 2014 on home soil, when they reached the semifinals only to suffer a historic 7-1 defeat to Germany.

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America, Brazil are ranked sixth in the world and enter the tournament without the kind of global superstar presence that characterized many of their previous squads.

Speaking to reporters from Brazil’s training base in New Jersey on June 8, the Newcastle United midfielder said, “No other team has five stars on its chest. We have outstanding players such as Vinicius Junior and Raphinha, who play for some of the biggest clubs in the world. Our players deserve the respect they have earned.”

Brazil, coached by Carlo Ancelotti, finished fifth in the South American qualifying standings, 10 points behind defending world champions Argentina. They will begin their World Cup campaign against Morocco on June 13 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The team heads into the tournament on the back of two friendly victories. Brazil crushed Panama 6-2 in Rio de Janeiro before defeating Egypt 2-1 in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 6.

Guimaraes, who scored the opening goal against Egypt, said, “Our confidence is extremely high. We won both friendlies and played well. We still have a few more days to prepare, but we are fully ready. Once the World Cup begins, everyone will forget what came before. Hopefully, we can start with a victory, which would give us even more confidence.”

Brazil’s other Group C opponents are Haiti and Scotland.

However, uncertainty remains over the availability of Neymar. The former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward, now 34, has not played for Brazil since 2023 and currently represents Santos FC.

In a statement released on June 8, the Brazilian team said Neymar is “recovering well” from a calf injury. An MRI scan showed “significant progress” in his rehabilitation, and Ancelotti remains optimistic about having the country’s all-time leading scorer available during the tournament.

Brazil have already been forced into one squad change. Wesley has been ruled out of the World Cup with a thigh injury. He has been replaced by 26-year-old Ederson of Atalanta, who has been linked with a post-World Cup move to Manchester United.

Meanwhile, Argentina are gradually regaining full strength ahead of the start of their title defense.

The Albiceleste will play their opening match on June 16. Captain Lionel Messi is recovering from a left hamstring injury that forced him to leave an Inter Miami match early on May 25.

Argentina have also received encouraging news regarding several other injured players. During a training session in Kansas City on June 7, midfielder Nico Paz and defenders Nahuel Molina and Gonzalo Montiel participated fully.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and midfielder Leandro Paredes trained separately from the main squad. Martinez has indicated that he expects to be fit for competition, while Paredes’ injury is not believed to be serious.