5 things to be excited for at Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five 2022 (2024)

2022 is shaping up to be a big year for Neymar Jr. Not only is he eyeing up the Ligue 1 title with PSG and national glory at the World Cup, but the Brazilian forward is also celebrating the highly anticipated return of his signature football tournament, Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five, on May 24.

Amateur footballers from around the world are lacing up their boots and stretching their legs ahead of what promises to be the biggest-ever edition of this exciting tournament, while fans will have the chance to watch plenty of fast-paced thrills on the pitch. The last World Final was contested in 2019, and after a long break, here are five reasons why we cannot wait for kick-off.

This year, teams that successfully navigate their way through the local qualifiers and national finals will earn themselves a ticket to Qatar, where the RedBull Neymar Jr’s Five World Final will be played for the first time on Tuesday, May 24.

In a bumper year of football, the best amateur players from across the globe will arrive to battle it out at Qatar Foundation – a non-profit organisation made up of more than 50 entities working in education, research and community development – just a few months before the country hosts the World Cup.

Due to the cancellation of the 2021 World Final, the teams that qualified last year already have their tickets to Qatar assured. In addition, following this year’s round of local and national qualifiers, they’ll be joined by a brand-new set of winners from around the world.

With so many teams heading to the showpiece event, the 2022 edition is set to be bigger and better than ever before. Even Neymar Jr himself has revealed his excitement, saying: “I can’t wait to see who comes out on top in this special ‘Super Final’.”

The unique nature of this year’s World Final has opened up a new and tantalising possibility. With the return of the 2021 qualification winners, some countries will now be represented by more than one team, meaning there’s a very real chance that we could witness the first-ever ‘derby’ matches.

Representatives from the same country have only ever met at the local and national qualifying stage before, so expect plenty of drama if this scenario does unfold during the intense final rounds in Qatar.

It’s football, but not as we know it, and that’s what makes it so exciting. In Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five, a very special set of rules makes for intense and action-packed games. There are no goalkeepers and every time a team scores, an opposing player is eliminated. Matches last for 10 minutes, or until one team loses all its players. Where else in the world of football can you watch one or two players summoning everything they’ve got to stave off the advances of five opponents?

For the winners of the mixed and female categories, the prize for outplaying them all will be the coveted tournament trophy. Not only that, but they’ll also earn the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play a match against Neymar Jr and a hand-picked selection of world-class team-mates.

“It’s always an exciting challenge to take on the tournament champions. They get the chance to try a few of their tricks on me, and I reply with a few of mine,” said Neymar Jr recently.

Local and national qualifiers are now underway as teams compete to book their ticket to Qatar. For more info and to watch the live stream on RedBull TV on May 24, keep an eye on www.redbullneymarjrsfive.com – and be sure to download the free Red Bull TV app and watch unmissable action on all your devices!