Brazil must do without injured star forward Neymar against Switzerland at the World Cup on Monday as Cristiano Ronaldo looks to lead Portugal into the last 16 in Qatar.

In yellow-and-green bikinis, Neymar jerseys and sparkling tops straight out of carnival, Brazilians dropped everything Thursday to watch the national team make their highly anticipated World Cup debut, exploding in celebration at their opening win.

Richarlison reflected on his tears when he feared he might miss the World Cup after scoring both goals as Brazil opened their bid to win a sixth title with a 2-0 win over Serbia in Doha on Thursday. "It is a boyhood dream come true," the Tottenham Hotspur forward told Brazilian broadcaster TV Globo after netting a second-half brace in the Group G match at the Lusail Stadium. "We played well, especially in the second half when our opponents started to tire and we took advantage of that." Richarlison opened the scoring just after the hour mark, following in to net after a Vinicius Jr.

A second-half brace by Richarlison, including a stunning overhead scissor kick, gave tournament favourites Brazil a 2-0 win over Serbia in their opening World Cup game at the Lusail Stadium on Thursday.

Favourites Brazil begin their bid to win a sixth World Cup on Thursday when they take on Serbia, while Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to put his acrimonious departure from Manchester United behind him as Portugal enter the fray against Ghana.

France defender Lucas Hernandez will miss the rest of the defending champions' World Cup campaign after suffering a knee injury in Tuesday's opening match against Australia, a source close to Les Bleus told AFP.

Gay Australian footballer Josh Cavallo savaged FIFA Tuesday over its threat to discipline teams at the World Cup who wear rainbow-themed armbands, saying it proved the sport was not for everyone.