For the fourth consecutive year, the Neymar Jr. Project Institute will host the Red Bull Neymar Jr.’s Five World Final on July 12 and 13. The event, supported by NR Sports, will welcome approximately 400 athletes from various countries competing for the title of the world’s largest amateur soccer tournament. The champions will be crowned on Saturday (the 13th) and will be cheered on by 1,240 students from the social project in the stands.
Stars from the Brazilian Women’s National Team, two world champion teams, a player from Santos who shares a name with an Algerian player, and powerhouse teams from the world of soccer will participate in the event. After months of qualifying rounds, more than 50 teams—divided into mixed and women’s categories—will take the court in pursuit of the trophy.
The current women’s world champion, Team Resenha 013, returns to the final round with several players who were champions last season. Among those remaining is Andreza Castro, a center forward who has struggled with a lack of resources to continue in the sport. A fan of Neymar Jr., the São Paulo native will have to face powerhouse teams in the sport, such as the United States, Canada, and France, if she wants to lift the trophy again.
As part of the prize, the winners will face off against a real team invited by Neymar Jr. Among the athletes already confirmed are forwards Cristiane, Andressa Alves, Tamires, and defender Erika, who recently competed in the World Cup in France; former athlete Alline Calandrini has also confirmed her participation. Amandinha, the world’s best futsal player, is also on this team alongside footvolley player Natalia Guitler.
In the mixed category, the boys from Algeria named their team after Santos, in reference to Neymar Jr.’s first professional team. The teams from Japan and Italy bring a touch of Brazilian flair to their rosters thanks to the presence of Lucas Alves Murai and Samuel Ulian, respectively. Meanwhile, the winner of the 2017 world stage, TAO United from Romania, is also returning to the competition in pursuit of an unprecedented second title.
Brazil, the tournament’s most successful team with two titles, will be represented by Os Guri (RS) in this category. The team from Rio Grande do Sul took inspiration from a catchphrase used by the youth players at Grêmio FBPA to name the team. In addition, some of the players have come up through the youth systems of major clubs and have even played with or know key players, such as midfielders Jean Pyerre and Andrigo, as well as defensive midfielder Rodrigo Dourado.
Inspired by “street soccer,” Red Bull Neymar Jr.’s Five is now in its fourth edition. This season, more than 40 countries—including Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, England, Kuwait, Japan, India, Angola, Egypt, Chile, Jamaica, and Qatar, in addition to Brazil—will field teams. In total, more than 100,000 players, divided into 30,000 teams, have registered for the competition.
The tournament format remains the same: there are five players on each side of the field, and for every goal scored, the opposing team loses a player. The winning team is the one that scores five goals first or the one with the better score after ten minutes of play.
