Brazilian Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. stated that his national team is not a favorite to win the 2026 World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19, ahead of a friendly match against France on Thursday. Vinicius attended his first press conference with the Brazil team in over two years, coinciding with his recent outstanding performances, where he scored 6 goals for Real Madrid in February, along with two consecutive braces against Manchester City and Atlético Madrid in March. "I think we are not the main favorites to win the World Cup because of our results in the qualifiers, but the Brazil jersey and the amazing potential of the players who play in the best leagues in the world will be present with force," said the Brazilian star, who has scored 8 goals in 45 international matches for his country. Brazil finished their qualifying campaign in fifth place, 10 points behind leaders Argentina. "All we are missing is harmony," added the Real Madrid player, praising the performance of veteran Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, who has been leading Brazil since May 2025. When asked about facing the French trio of Kylian Mbappé, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Eduardo Camavinga, his teammates at Real Madrid, Vinicius replied, "There are no friendly matches for us, and we reject defeat even in training. We are on the cusp of the World Cup, and every positive result will be important to boost confidence." The Real Madrid star concluded his remarks by saying, "Mbappé, Tchouaméni, Camavinga, and the whole world confirm that Brazil is a great and historic team, but we are not candidates to win the title, and we do not want to be, we must absorb our game plan."
