Neymar, almost to miss the World Cup!

Ashley Davis1 week ago

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Article by Maria Olteanu – Published on Thursday, 28 May 2026, 17:46 / Updated on Thursday, 28 May 2026 17:49

Neymar (34 years old) will miss the Brazilian national team's training matches for the World Championship that will start on June 11, and his presence at the competition's debut match, with Moroccoon June 14, is in danger. The official diagnosis is a second degree muscle injury in the calf of the right leg. The confirmation was made on Thursday by Rodrigo Lasmar, the doctor of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF).

The Santos forward is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks, making him unavailable for friendlies against Panama (June 1) and Egypt (June 6), the final tests before the final tournament.

The player's medical situation is now the main concern of the Brazilian national team at the start of the World Cup preparation period. The diagnosis revealed by the CBF, after the examinations carried out in Teresópolis, contradicts the initial information provided by Santos, which apparently concealed the severity of the injuryaccording to abola.pt.

Did Santos hide the severity of Neymar's injury to get the call-up? The player risks missing the World Cup

Rodrigo Zogaib, the Brazilian star's registered club doctor, had reported that it was just edema, assuring that Neymar would be fit to train on May 27, which did not happen.

The CBF, already suspecting a more serious problem, subjected the player to more thorough examinations at a clinic in Teresópolis, which was even closed to receive the athlete and do all the tests.

“Yesterday, Neymar underwent all the medical examinations, which ended with an MRI, which showed a grade two injury to the calf, and not just a swelling. He is expected to recover in two or three weeks,” said Lasmar.

With an expected two to three week layoff, Neymar should only be fit for action between June 11 and 18. In the most optimistic scenario, the player would be available on June 11, just three days before Brazil's World Cup debut on the 14th against Morocco. The second match in the group stage will be against the representative team from Haiti, on June 19.

According to the regulations, the final list of called-up players must be submitted by June 1. After this date, substitutions are permitted only in case of injury or serious illness, duly justified to FIFA, up to 24 hours before the team's first match in the tournament.

In this context, it remains to be seen whether another player will be brought into the squad. Chelsea striker Joao Pedro was left out despite having a good campaign and was named the Londoners' Player of the Season.