Neymar Jr. and Red Bull are gearing up for another edition of Neymar Jr.’s Five

Neymar Jr. is sure to have an exciting 2018. In addition to aiming for major victories at the World Cup and in the Champions League, the star player and his partner Red Bull are already preparing for another edition of Neymar Jr.’s Five.

This will be the third edition of the tournament, and more than 60 countries from 6 continents are already competing. In the first edition, in 2016, the Rio de Janeiro team was the overall champion. In 2017, the overall champion was the Romanian team.

“I’m really happy that the number of players and teams has increased. It’s already huge, but I hope it gets even bigger. We have more teams than the World Cup, which has 32,” says Neymar Jr.

Last year, more than 100,000 players from 53 countries participated in Neymar Jr.’s Five, and this year, even more teams will showcase their talent and, if they qualify, have the chance to demonstrate their skills to Neymar Jr. in the grand final, which will take place at the Neymar Jr. Project Institute, located in Praia Grande.

“What really excites me is that each edition brings in more players from more countries, so I’m happy to know that everyone wants to participate, and I’m happy to be a part of it,” he explains.

In 2018, mixed-gender teams will continue to compete, but for the first time, there will be an all-women’s tournament that will follow the same five-on-five format: 10 minutes of play, no goalies, and for every goal scored, the opposing team loses a player.

“It’s important for us to get the girls involved. I think it increases the likelihood that more people will want to participate,” she says.

To find out the dates of the qualifying rounds, visit www.neymarjrsfive.com and sign up!