Brazil forward Neymar has reacted to his country’s dramatic victory over Japan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, taking a playful swipe at German economist Joachim Klement after his prediction failed.
Brazil defeated Japan 2-1 in their Round of 32 encounter after coming from behind to secure qualification for the next stage of the tournament.
Economist’s prediction falls short
Klement, a well-known economist recognised for his football forecasts, had predicted that Japan would defeat Brazil in the knockout stage of the World Cup.
The economist previously gained attention after correctly predicting the winners of three consecutive tournaments, including Germany’s triumph in 2014, France’s victory in 2018 and Argentina’s title success in 2022.
Before the 2026 tournament started, Klement also backed the Netherlands to win the competition while forecasting an upset victory for Japan against Brazil.
Brazil overturns Japan advantage
Japan appeared on course to continue Klement’s prediction after taking a first-half lead against Brazil.
However, Brazil responded in the second half, with Casemiro scoring the equaliser before Gabriel Martinelli struck late to seal a place in the Round of 16.
The result ended Japan’s hopes and also proved Klement’s forecast wrong.
Neymar shares message to Klement
Following the match, Neymar used social media to jokingly address the economist’s prediction.
The Santos forward wrote on his official X account:
“Mr. Joachim Klement… please try harder at the next World Cup,” alongside a winking emoji.
Klement had earlier explained that his predictions were designed to highlight the difficulty of forecasting events, especially in areas outside an expert’s direct knowledge.