Speaking at Brazil's pre-match press conference at the MetLife Stadium complex in New Jersey, Vinícius was asked directly about the future of his contract, which expires in June 2027.
Negotiations between his camp and Real Madrid have reportedly stalled since May, when the two sides came close to an agreement worth €20 million annually plus €10 million in bonuses before a disagreement over the final terms left talks frozen.
Vinícius offered no new information on the situation.
"I'm focused on the national team. I'll speak with Madrid when the tournament ends and next season begins."
He addressed the off-field controversies surrounding the tournament with evident care.
"I think it's a very delicate subject. We hope everyone can come and support here normally. Football is for everyone. I hope all of them can enjoy this."
On his importance to Brazil's squad, Vinícius described the responsibility in personal terms.
"It's a very important and special role to represent my whole family and my country in a World Cup, where I always dreamed of being. To be here after so much time, so many lessons and so much work, I just want to take the opportunity and show everyone that we can be champions."
He reflected on the lessons of Brazil's 2022 quarter-final exit to Croatia on penalties.
"I think the World Cup is different from all other competitions. The last World Cup taught us that we have to be prepared and focused until the last minute of the match, because the small details are going to decide our path in the competition. I hope we can do things differently and that we can come out winners in those small details."
Asked about Saturday's opponents, Vinícius was generous in his assessment of Morocco, who reached the semi-finals in Qatar.
"Without a doubt, Morocco has improved a lot. They are a team that plans matches well and is capable of competing against anyone. Football has changed a lot, and Morocco is an example of that. They had a great World Cup, but in the Africa Cup of Nations they lost in the final. They have an excellent team, with players who play for major clubs."
He singled out two opponents directly.
"Morocco can definitely cause a surprise at the World Cup, just as they did at the last one. There's Brahim, who plays with me; there's Hakimi, who just won another Champions League; and there are other very important players in the world of football. They're improving a lot. It will be a great match."
On his own form, Vinícius was unusually expansive, referencing a difficult start to the 2025-26 season that included a 16-match goal drought and jeers from sections of the Bernabéu crowd before he recovered to finish with 17 goals and 13 assists in 43 appearances.
"I'm at the most special and important moment of my career. I'm at the physical and technical level I've always dreamed of. I haven't suffered any injury this season. I prepared very well to reach this moment. Playing with Ancelotti gives me a lot of peace of mind, gives me a lot of freedom and confidence to do everything I already did for the national team and everything I already did at Real. These are eight matches, I can change this story for our country and for the players. I'm not even talking about goals and assists, but about playing well and making sure the team has the confidence it should have. It doesn't matter how many goals I'm going to score. What matters is how far we go."
He was unambiguous about Brazil's ambitions.
"We are here to win the title. We are at the level of the great national teams, of the great teams. We have great players. We have been improving in recent months. In the World Cup, everything starts from zero. It doesn't matter who reached the last final or who won the Copa América. What matters is what's going to happen from tomorrow. We are here to make history and play a great tournament."
Asked whether he considers himself a contender for the tournament's best player award, Vinícius redirected the focus entirely.
"I'm not here to be the best player of the tournament, I'm here to lead Brazil back to the top. I've played more matches and have more experience than at the last World Cup, and I'm here to have a great tournament."
For Real Madrid, the message is equally clear, even if unspoken: the club's interest in resolving Vinícius's future has not gone away — it has simply been parked, by mutual silence, until the world's biggest stage has finished asking its questions of him first.