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Neymar Still Out of Brazil Squad for World Cup Qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay

Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al-Hilal v Al-Taawoun - Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - October 26, 2024 Al-Hilal's Neymar poses for a picture in the stands during the match. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al-Hilal v Al-Taawoun - Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - October 26, 2024 Al-Hilal's Neymar poses for a picture in the stands during the match. (Reuters)
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Neymar Still Out of Brazil Squad for World Cup Qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay

Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al-Hilal v Al-Taawoun - Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - October 26, 2024 Al-Hilal's Neymar poses for a picture in the stands during the match. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - Saudi Pro League - Al-Hilal v Al-Taawoun - Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - October 26, 2024 Al-Hilal's Neymar poses for a picture in the stands during the match. (Reuters)

Neymar is back in action after more than a year out due to a torn ACL but he won’t be playing in Brazil’s last two World Cup qualifiers this year.

Brazil coach Dorival Júnior did not include the star striker in his squad on Friday for matches at Venezuela on Nov. 14 and against Uruguay five days later.

Neymar returned for Saudi Arabia club Al-Hilal on Oct. 21 in the AFC Champions League Elite.

Júnior said he’s talked to Neymar three times in the last two months and the striker wanted to play for the national team.

“He is fully recovered, but he has had just a few minutes of play, and that was a big reason,” Júnior said. “By next year, he will have had more time playing, he will totally recover his confidence.”

Júnior also left out teenage striker Endrick.

Brazil is fourth in South American qualifying, six points behind leader Argentina after 10 rounds. The top six teams secure automatic berths in the 2026 World Cup.

Brazil:

Goalkeepers: Weverton (Palmeiras), Bento (Al-Nassr), Ederson (Manchester City).

Defenders: Danilo (Juventus), Vanderson (Monaco) Abner (Lyon), Guilherme Arana (Atletico Mineiro), Murillo (Nottingham Forest) Éder Militão (Real Madrid), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain).

Midfielders: André (Wolverhampton), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Gerson (Flamengo), Lucas Paquetá (West Ham), Andreas Pereira (Fulham), Raphinha (Barcelona).

Forwards: Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vinicius Júnior (Real Madrid), Luiz Henrique (Botafogo), Igor Jesus (Botafogo), Estêvão (Palmeiras), Savinho (Manchester City).

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Barcelona Star Lamine Yamal Waves Palestinian Flag during Title Parade

FC Barcelona player Lamine Yamal holds a Palestinian flag as he celebrates with his team atop a bus after winning the Spanish La Liga title in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo)
FC Barcelona player Lamine Yamal holds a Palestinian flag as he celebrates with his team atop a bus after winning the Spanish La Liga title in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo)
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Barcelona Star Lamine Yamal Waves Palestinian Flag during Title Parade

FC Barcelona player Lamine Yamal holds a Palestinian flag as he celebrates with his team atop a bus after winning the Spanish La Liga title in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo)
FC Barcelona player Lamine Yamal holds a Palestinian flag as he celebrates with his team atop a bus after winning the Spanish La Liga title in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, May 11, 2026. (AP Photo)

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal waved a Palestinian flag during an open top bus parade as the team celebrated winning the Spanish title.

The 18-year-old winger, who is already widely regarded as one of the best soccer players in the world, held the flag as the team bus drove through the streets of Barcelona on Monday. He also posted pictures of him holding it on his Instagram account, The AP news reported.

On Tuesday, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was questioned about Yamal's decision to wave the flag.

“This I don’t normally like," Flick told a news conference. “I spoke with him. I said if he wants this, it is his decision. He is old enough. He’s 18 years old."

There has been a global backlash against Israel over the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza, which has spread to sport and culture. Protests have been seen in sports such as soccer, cycling and basketball.

By holding the flag, Yamal appeared to indicate his support for Palestinians as an estimated nearly 750,000 people took to the streets to celebrate Barcelona's La Liga title parade.

Flick said celebrations with fans after back-to-back titles was his priority.

“We are playing football and you can see what the people expect from us," he said. "We are playing football to make the people happy. This is for me the first thing we have to do.”

Spain international Yamal is one of the leading contenders to take over from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as soccer's biggest star.

He is expected to be one of the stars at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico held in June and July.

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Veteran Goalkeeper Ochoa Joins Mexico Camp with Sixth World Cup in Sight

Mexico’s goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa celebrates their 1-0 victory at the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup Group F football match between Germany and Mexico at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 17, 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)
Mexico’s goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa celebrates their 1-0 victory at the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup Group F football match between Germany and Mexico at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 17, 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)
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Veteran Goalkeeper Ochoa Joins Mexico Camp with Sixth World Cup in Sight

Mexico’s goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa celebrates their 1-0 victory at the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup Group F football match between Germany and Mexico at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 17, 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)
Mexico’s goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa celebrates their 1-0 victory at the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup Group F football match between Germany and Mexico at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 17, 2018. (AFP via Getty Images)

Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo ‌Ochoa said on Monday he had joined his final training camp with the national team as the veteran closes in on a likely sixth World Cup appearance next month.

The 40-year-old is widely expected to be included in coach Javier Aguirre's squad for the World Cup, which Mexico will co-host alongside the United States and Canada from June 11 to July 19.

"Putting this shirt on again was never routine ... it was a privilege," Ochoa wrote on social ‌media. "Today begins my ‌last training camp. But this time I ‌see ⁠it differently. With ⁠a fuller heart, more scars, more memories, and the same excitement as the child who once dreamed of defending this badge."

Ochoa is set to become one of the few players to appear at six World Cups, alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, having previously represented Mexico at Germany ⁠2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia ‌2018 and Qatar 2022.

The ‌stopper has also suggested the tournament could mark the end of ‌his career, telling Mexican broadcaster TUDN last month that ‌it "could be the end for me after the World Cup" as he prepares for what is expected to be his final season in professional football.

"I've experienced unforgettable nights, endless matches, anthems that ‌still give me goosebumps, and moments that changed my life forever," Ochoa wrote.

"And still, ⁠every time ⁠Mexico calls, something inside me begins again."

Ochoa, who currently plays for AEL Limassol in Cyprus, has earned more than 150 caps for Mexico and remains one of the country's most recognizable players after standout World Cup performances, including a series of saves against Brazil in 2014 and a penalty stop against Poland’s Robert Lewandowski in 2022.

Mexico will complete their World Cup preparations with friendlies against Ghana on May 22, Australia on May 30 and Serbia on June 4, before opening the tournament against South Africa in Group A on June 11.

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After Backlash, Mexico Cancels Plan to Cut School Year for World Cup

People walk past a sign that counts down the time until the tournament kicks off, ahead of the World Cup starting on June 11, in Mexico City, Mexico, May 11, 2026. (Reuters)
People walk past a sign that counts down the time until the tournament kicks off, ahead of the World Cup starting on June 11, in Mexico City, Mexico, May 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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After Backlash, Mexico Cancels Plan to Cut School Year for World Cup

People walk past a sign that counts down the time until the tournament kicks off, ahead of the World Cup starting on June 11, in Mexico City, Mexico, May 11, 2026. (Reuters)
People walk past a sign that counts down the time until the tournament kicks off, ahead of the World Cup starting on June 11, in Mexico City, Mexico, May 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Mexico canceled plans to shorten its school year ahead of the World Cup after widespread backlash from parents, think tanks and local authorities, the government said Monday.

On Friday, Education Secretary Mario Delgado unexpectedly announced the school year would end about 40 days early, on June 5, arguing the decision was also based on a heat wave.

Education and other government officials met Monday to gather input from parents and consider options at a meeting announced by President Claudia Sheinbaum, who expressed skepticism of the proposed shortening.

At the meeting it was agreed to keep the school calendar as originally planned and have it end July 15, with classes resuming August 31, the Education Department said.

The World Cup tournament -- hosted jointly by Mexico, the United States and Canada -- kicks off on June 11 when Mexico takes on South Africa at home in Mexico City.

"The idea is to keep the vacation period to six weeks, as it has always been, and perhaps some students will start early, while others will continue with the previous schedule," Sheinbaum said earlier.

"The goal is for it to be a consensus decision," she said. "Now we need to listen."

Two states rejected the plan before it was ultimately canceled.

Parents also questioned the measure, which, according to the think tank Mexico Evalua, would cause students to fall behind in their studies.

"The decision... will reduce effective learning time even more for 23.4 million students," Mexico Evalua wrote in a report.

Sheinbaum also guaranteed "conditions of security" necessary for the games as well as the completion of public works projects started before the tournament, particularly additions to the Azteca stadium and the Mexico City International Airport.