Barcelona winger Raphinha has officially been handed Brazil’s iconic No. 10 shirt following Neymar Jr.’s retirement from international football.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed the new squad numbers on Thursday as the Seleção begins a new era following its elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Raphinha will wear the prestigious shirt in Brazil’s upcoming international friendlies against Australia and India, marking the beginning of his permanent association with the number previously worn by Neymar.

The announcement comes ahead of Brazil’s Friday clash with Australia in Townsville, which will be the team’s first fixture since its Round-of-16 exit at the 2026 World Cup.

Football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also confirmed the development in a post on X, describing Raphinha as Brazil’s new No. 10 following Neymar’s international retirement.

Other squad numbers have also been assigned to members of Brazil’s new generation.

Endrick will wear the No. 9 shirt, previously assigned to Matheus Cunha, while Estêvão has been given the No. 11 jersey. Vinícius Júnior retains his No. 7 shirt, while goalkeeper Hugo Souza will wear No. 1.

Neymar, who is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 80 goals in 130 appearances, ended his international career after the 2026 World Cup.

The 34-year-old had worn the No. 10 shirt during four World Cup tournaments before announcing his decision in late July to bring his international career to an end.

Neymar had previously indicated that his time with the national team had come to an end, paving the way for Brazil to hand the iconic shirt to another player.

Raphinha has worn the No. 10 shirt for Brazil on previous occasions when Neymar was unavailable, including during the country’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

However, his latest appointment gives him permanent ownership of the jersey as Brazil moves into a new generation under head coach Carlo Ancelotti.

The No. 10 shirt carries enormous significance in Brazilian football, having been worn by several legendary figures, including Pelé, Zico, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaká and Neymar.

Raphinha will therefore be taking on a shirt associated with some of the most celebrated players in the history of the Seleção.

The Barcelona winger will make his first appearance as Brazil’s official No. 10 when the five-time world champions face Australia in Townsville.

The fixture represents the beginning of a new chapter for Brazil, with Raphinha now tasked with carrying one of the most recognisable numbers in international football following Neymar’s departure.

Israel forward Saied Abu Farchi was sent off after appearing to mimic firing a gun during his goal celebration in Israel’s 3-1 defeat to Austria in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday.

The 20-year-old Colorado Rapids player scored Israel’s equaliser in the 55th minute at the Raiffeisen Arena in Linz before running towards the corner flag and using it to imitate a firearm.

The referee, Georgi Kabakov, had booked Abu Farchi four minutes earlier and subsequently showed him a second yellow card for the celebration, resulting in a red card and leaving Israel with 10 players for the remainder of the match.

Football’s Laws of the Game permit referees to caution players for goal celebrations that are considered provocative, derisory or inflammatory.

Austria had taken the lead shortly before half-time through Romano Schmid, who converted from the penalty spot.

Abu Farchi restored parity for Israel with a header in the 55th minute, but his dismissal left his side a player short as Austria pushed for a winner.

Austria eventually regained the lead in the 90th minute when Phillipp Mwene finished from a cross by Paul Wanner.

Sasa Kalajdzic then added a third goal in stoppage time to complete the 3-1 victory for the hosts.

The defeat came amid heightened international attention surrounding Israel’s participation in European football competitions against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza.

There have also been calls in Ireland for the national team to boycott upcoming Nations League matches against Israel.

The fixtures are scheduled to be played at neutral venues and behind closed doors.

The conflict began following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken, according to Israeli figures cited by international organisations.

Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has reported more than 73,000 deaths from Israeli military operations.

International organisations, including the United Nations, have described the ministry’s casualty figures as broadly reliable, although figures from parties to the conflict remain subject to verification and revision.

For Abu Farchi, the incident added a controversial moment to what had otherwise been a significant night after he scored his first goal for Israel in only his second international appearance.

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign got underway on Thursday with eight matches played across the continent, while Nigeria will begin their Group L campaign against Madagascar on Friday.

The Super Eagles are scheduled to host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, with kick-off set for 5pm Nigerian time.

Nigeria are in Group L alongside Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania, one of the co-hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

With Tanzania already guaranteed a place at the tournament as a co-host, the remaining qualification place in the group will be contested by Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

Nigeria will therefore be aiming to begin their campaign with a victory over Madagascar before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau in their second group fixture on Tuesday.

Madagascar, meanwhile, will take on Tanzania in their next Group L match.

Thursday’s AFCON 2027 qualifying results
Group C
Côte d’Ivoire 2-0 Ghana
Côte d’Ivoire began their qualifying campaign on a winning note after defeating Ghana 2-0.

Malick Yalcouyé opened the scoring before Franck Kessié added the second goal as the Elephants secured all three points.

Group E
DR Congo 2-0 Equatorial Guinea
DR Congo defeated Equatorial Guinea 2-0 in their opening Group E fixture.

Chancel Mbemba put the hosts ahead early in the match, while Yoane Wissa doubled their advantage in the second half.

Group E
Sierra Leone 2-3 Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe staged a remarkable second-half comeback to defeat Sierra Leone 3-2.

Sierra Leone appeared to be in control after Alie Conteh and Sallieu Tarawallie gave them a 2-0 lead before half-time.

However, Zimbabwe responded after the break, with Marshall Munetsi scoring twice and Tawanda Chirewa adding another goal to complete the comeback.

Group F
Mauritania 3-1 Central African Republic
Mauritania recovered from an early setback to beat the Central African Republic 3-1.

Aboubakary Koïta, Dawda Camara and Mamadou Diallo were on target for the hosts.
Group G
Namibia 1-0 Congo
Namibia started their campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Congo.

Bethuel Muzeu scored shortly after half-time to give Namibia the three points.
Group G
Cameroon 3-1 Comoros
Cameroon defeated Comoros 3-1 in their opening fixture.

David Roy Nyengue, Bryan Mbeumo and Daniel Namaso scored for Cameroon, while Comoros pulled one goal back through a free-kick.

Group H
Tunisia 1-1 Uganda
Tunisia were held to a 1-1 draw by Uganda.

Ali Arous gave Tunisia the lead before Rogers Mato equalised for Uganda as both teams settled for a point.

Group H
Libya 2-2 Botswana
Libya came from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against Botswana.

Tumisang Orebonye scored twice to give Botswana a commanding advantage, but Libya fought back through Maruwan Alhibeeshi and Ezoo El Mariamy, who converted a stoppage-time penalty.

Friday’s AFCON 2027 qualifying fixtures
Several teams will begin their qualifying campaigns on Friday, including Nigeria.

Group A: Niger vs Lesotho; Morocco vs Gabon
Group B: Malawi vs South Sudan; Egypt vs Angola
Group C: Gambia vs Somalia
Group F: Burkina Faso vs Benin
Group I: Togo vs Burundi; Algeria vs Zambia
Group J: Sudan vs Ethiopia; Senegal vs Mozambique.

Group K: Rwanda vs Liberia; Mali vs Cape Verde
Group L: Tanzania vs Guinea-Bissau; Nigeria vs Madagascar.

Nigeria’s encounter with Madagascar will be one of the key fixtures of the day’s programme as the Super Eagles look to make a winning start to their qualification campaign.

The Match Day 1 programme will be completed on Saturday, when Kenya face Eritrea and South Africa take on Guinea.