After being regularly called up by manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, Bernard was named among the final 23-man squad ahead of 2014 FIFA World Cup on 7 May 2014. He played in the opening game against Croatia as a substitute for Hulk, and came on at half-time in Brazil's second group game against Mexico, a 0–0 draw. He was then unused until his first start in a major tournament, playing all 90 minutes of the 7–1 defeat to Germany in his hometown of Belo Horizonte.