Neymar Injury Update: Carlo Ancelotti Reveals Return Timeline Ahead of World Cup Opener
Brazil is once again entering the FIFA World Cup as one of the favorites, looking to win its first title since 2002 behind one of the strongest squads in the tournament. But star forward Neymar Jr.'s health continues to cast a shadow over the team's title hopes.
Neymar is appearing in his fourth, and potentially final, World Cup campaign, but he has been dealing with a Grade 2 calf injury that surfaced shortly after the 26-man squad was announced.
The initial diagnosis suggested he could be sidelined for two to three weeks, and that timeline appears to be holding up well, with the Santos FC star not playing in any friendlies and yet to train with the national team.
As a result, Neymar has been ruled out of the team's tournament opener against 2022 World Cup semifinalist Morocco. But head coach Carlo Ancelotti is confident he can rejoin the squad quickly.
"Neymar is working very hard to recover as quickly as possible," Ancelotti said in his pre-match press conference on Friday, via Fabrizio Romano. "The expectation is that he can rejoin the group [training] next week."
The Italian manager did not specify whether Neymar would be available for any of the team's group-stage matches. While he also had the option of replacing him with a fully fit player such as João Pedro, the former Real Madrid manager knows Brazil's all-time leading scorer offers more than just footballing ability.
"When we called up Neymar, we did it not just because of his technical quality, which is undeniable," Ancelotti said. "But also because of his experience, the example he could represent for the younger players on the team."
Neymar has not played for Brazil since 2023, and his injury woes have continued to derail his club career as well. His participation in the 2026 World Cup was in serious doubt until the final month before the tournament, when he began impressing with Santos FC, recording four goals and two assists in eight Serie A appearances.
The 34-year-old eventually earned a place in the 26-man squad, but just as things were starting to look positive for the team, his calf issue surfaced. While his status for the World Cup opener was always in doubt, things are not looking promising for the June 19 match against Haiti either.
As Ancelotti suggested, Neymar could rejoin training next week in the best-case scenario, but he would then be racing against time to regain match fitness, having not stepped onto the field since May 17. Even if he is ready, Brazil is likely to be cautious about rushing him back, given his injury history.
Neymar will eventually feature at some point during the tournament, but whether his 2026 World Cup debut comes on June 19 against Haiti or June 24 against Scotland remains unclear, with the latter appearing to be the more likely possibility.
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This story was originally published June 13, 2026 at 3:30 AM.