Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed Today that Neymar will not play in the team’s opening World Cup match against Morocco at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The 34-year-old will travel with the delegation and sit on the bench but will not be in kit and is not part of the matchday squad.
Ancelotti said Neymar is working intensively to recover and that the expectation is for him to rejoin the group in training the following week. That timeline, however, makes his availability for Brazil’s second group stage match against Haiti on June 20 uncertain, and his participation in the tournament at all remains a waiting game rather than a certainty.
The manager framed Neymar’s inclusion in the squad not purely as a playing decision but as a matter of experience and leadership. Beyond his technical quality, Ancelotti said the veteran’s presence around the younger players in the squad carries its own value regardless of whether he takes the field.
Neymar acknowledged the moment on social media the night before the Morocco game, posting a message to Brazilian fans expressing his readiness for the challenge ahead.
Neymar
The injury that has kept Neymar out dates to May 17, when he suffered a muscle problem in his right calf while playing for Santos in Brazil. What was initially described as a two to three week recovery has now stretched to nearly a month without him returning to full training. He reported to the national team camp on May 27 but has been working separately with the medical staff rather than training with the squad.
The timeline raises real questions about how much of the tournament he can realistically contribute to. Brazil conclude their group stage against Scotland on June 24, which means the window for Neymar to play himself into form before the knockout rounds is narrow even if he recovers fully.
He has not appeared for the Brazilian national team since October 2023, when a serious knee injury sustained during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay effectively ended his season and extended his absence from international football well beyond what was initially anticipated.
A different role in a different Brazil squad
Even when fit, Neymar’s position within this Brazil squad is not the same as it was in previous tournaments. At 34, with significant injury history behind him, he is more likely to serve as an impact substitute than to start. That shift in status does not diminish his potential contribution. A player of his quality coming off the bench in a tight knockout game remains a meaningful weapon.
His career statistics underline how significant a figure he has been for the Selecao. He has scored 79 goals in 128 appearances, making him Brazil’s all-time leading scorer ahead of Pele’s total of 77. He contributed two goals and three assists during World Cup qualifying, demonstrating that the ability to influence games at this level has not entirely left him.
This would be his fourth World Cup, having represented Brazil in 2014, 2018, and 2022. After spells at Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, he returned to Santos in 2025 before being selected for the squad ahead of other available strikers including Chelsea’s Joao Pedro and Tottenham’s Richarlison.
Brazil open with Alisson in goal, a back four of Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Alex Sandro, and a front line built around Vinicius Junior, Raphinha, Lucas Paqueta, and Matheus Cunha.