Brazil forward Neymar is facing a race against time to be fit for the national team’s World Cup opener after sustaining a calf injury, the team’s doctor confirmed on Thursday.
The 34-year-old Santos star requires two to three weeks of treatment, placing his participation in Brazil’s tournament opener against Morocco on 13 June in serious doubt. He will also miss the pre-tournament friendlies against Panama and Egypt.
An MRI scan has identified a grade two muscle injury, according to Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar. “Our expectation is that he will be available in two to three weeks,” Lasmar said at Brazil’s pre-tournament training base near Rio de Janeiro.
Neymar joined his international teammates at the facility on Wednesday but sat out the first session. He had already missed several matches for Santos due to what his club coach, Cuca, described as a “slight injury”.
His inclusion in Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti’s 26-man World Cup squad came as a surprise, given that Neymar had not represented his country for nearly three years. A combination of injuries and poor form had seen him overlooked, with Ancelotti previously citing fitness concerns after omitting him from March friendlies against France and Croatia.
Despite these setbacks, Neymar remains Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer, with 79 goals in 128 appearances for the Seleção. This would mark his fourth World Cup. His last appearance for Brazil came in 2023 during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay.
