Neymar has been one of the most-talked about players of the so far, and are yet to kick a ball. The Seleção will begin their quest for a long-awaited sixth star today against Morocco in New York New Jersey, but the nation's all-time leading scorer won't be taking part.
The mercurial No10, who has netted a record 79 Brazil goals, suffered a grade 2 muscle injury playing for Santos against Coritiba on 17 May – one day before Carlo Ancelotti selected him for a fourth World Cup. The Italian believes Neymar could be fit for Brazil's second match in six days' time.
“Neymar is working very hard to recover as quickly as possible," Ancelotti said on Friday. "The expectation is that he can rejoin [training] next week. His technical quality is indisputable, as is the experience and example he provides to the rest of the group."
Injury prevented Neymar from featuring in friendly victories over Panama and Egypt, meaning he has not played for the Seleção since a 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Uruguay in October 2023. He has since been sidelined with a cruciate ligament tear suffered while playing for Al Hilal, with a succession of injury issues and a lack of form keeping him out of the picture thereafter.
Brazil take on Haiti in Philadelphia on 19 June, before rounding out their group stage campaign against Scotland in Miami on 24 June.
Sources: FIFA Official
