RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — It seemed risky to include Neymar, who is prone to injuries, in Brazil’s World Cup squad, and that assessment was confirmed just ten days later.
The 34-year-old forward has a calf injury and is unlikely to be fit for Brazil’s opener against Morocco, according to the team doctor, Rodrigo Lasmar.
“The expectation is that he will be out for two to three weeks,” Lasmar told reporters.
Brazil faces Morocco on June 13 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, to begin a group that also includes Haiti and Scotland.
“Neymar arrived (Wednesday) at Granja Comary, underwent all medical tests and was diagnosed with a grade-two calf injury,” he said, referring to the team’s training base near Rio de Janeiro.
Neymar was selected for his fourth World Cup in a 26-man squad named by coach Carlo Ancelotti, despite not playing for the national team since October 2023, when he tore the ACL in his left knee in a World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay.
This season he has played only a handful of matches with Santos since returning from Saudi Arabia, after joining as a free agent from Al-Hilal.
FIFA’s World Cup regulations allow Neymar to be replaced up to the June 1 deadline for Ancelotti to submit his final squad, or up to a day before a team’s first match in the tournament.
