The technical committee of the Brazilian team will have an indication this Monday (8) about the possibility of counting on Neymar in Brazil’s debut in the World Cup, on the 13th, against Morocco. Recovering from a grade 2 injury to the right calf, the athlete will undergo an MRI exam that will indicate the stage of healing of the injury.
The result will serve as a parameter for doctors and physical trainers to define the next steps in the number 10’s recovery and assess whether there will be enough time for him to resume ball training to be available for the duel against the Moroccan team.
Neymar suffered a muscle injury in May, which raised doubts about whether he would be fit for the team’s debut at the World Cup. The player, for example, did not even travel with the delegation to Cleveland, where the team played against Egypt on Saturday (6) in the last friendly before the start of the competition. Brazil won 2-1, with goals from Bruno Guimarães and Endrick.
At the beginning of last week, Carlo Ancelotti stated that he was in no hurry with the player’s recovery. At that moment, according to the coach, the athlete’s recovery was “progressing well”.
Although it released images of the physical work carried out by Neymar throughout the week, the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) did not provide any further details about the athlete’s physical condition. This is expected to happen this Monday.
At 34 years old, the player is trying to put himself in a position to compete in his fourth World Cup. On Saturday (6), after FIFA’s profile published images of the player in the three World Cups he played in, Neymar interacted with the publication and commented that the 2026 edition will be his “last dance”, that is, his goodbye from the biggest stage in world football.
Neymar has not played for the Brazilian team since October 2023. After that, successive physical problems prevented his return to the team. He never played under Ancelotti, which led to a long debate over whether or not he would be called up for the World Cup.
After the Italian chose to call him up, there was controversy right on the day of the team’s presentation, with the team’s doctors identifying a greater severity of the problem in his right calf than the player himself and Santos said.
Exams carried out by the Brazilian team’s medical department, still in Teresópolis, showed a grade 2 injury, which means there was a partial rupture of the muscle fibers, not just edema.
The extent of the injury was disclosed by the national team doctor, Rodrigo Lasmar, on the 28th. At the time, the doctor pointed out that the recovery period would be three weeks, raising doubts about his condition to play in Brazil’s debut in the World Cup.
After the match against Morocco, on the 13th, the team will face Haiti, on June 19, in Philadelphia, and Scotland, on June 24, in Miami.
The player’s real physical situation caused a lot of discomfort among CBF directors and the technical committee. It was clear to them that the player and also Santos were not honest regarding the injury, which occurred on the 17th, the day before the festive call-up of Brazil’s 26 athletes for the World Cup.
At the time, Neymar complained a lot when he was substituted in the black and white team’s 3-0 defeat to Coritiba, at the Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo.
