Neymar Jr. has been making headlines since he was included in Brazil’s 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti didn’t call up Neymar in March, citing his injury troubles at the time. But he did make it clear that Neymar would be welcomed when he was ready, and that’s been the case.
But there have been questions about the former FC Barcelona man’s status for Brazil’s opening match against Morocco today.
How Did Neymar Jr. Get Injured?
Neymar Jr. will not feature when Brazil take on Morocco today at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with kick-off scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. Carlo Ancelotti confirmed on Friday that the 34-year-old remains sidelined with a Grade 2 calf injury and has yet to return to full training with the squad.
🚨🇧🇷 BREAKING: Neymar Jr to miss Brazil vs Morocco opening game but back next week.
“Neymar is working very hard to recover as quickly as possible. The expectation is that he will recover and rejoin the group next week”. pic.twitter.com/8aFLuHyo11
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 12, 2026
Brazil’s all-time leading scorer will watch from the sidelines as the Seleção begin their campaign without him, making this the third World Cup in a row where injury has forced Neymar to miss at least one match.
Neymar picked up a Grade 2 tear in his right calf during a Santos Brasileirao Betano league match against Coritiba on May 17, just days after being named to Brazil’s squad. The timing could not have been worse.
“Neymar is working very hard to recover as quickly as possible. The expectation is that he will recover and rejoin the group next week,” Ancelotti said recently.
The expectation is that Neymar could be available for Brazil’s second group game against Haiti on June 19 in Philadelphia, though that timeline is not guaranteed given the nature of the injury.
Neymar has scored eight goals and added four assists across 13 World Cup matches in his career, helping Brazil reach fourth place on home soil in 2014 before two quarterfinal exits followed.
He last appeared for the national team in October 2023, when he suffered a serious ACL injury against Uruguay that kept him out for the best part of a year. The calf problem is a different injury entirely, but the pattern of fitness concerns following him into major tournaments is becoming impossible to ignore.
Brazil enters today’s match as clear favorites despite his absence. Morocco is no pushover, though. The Atlas Lions reached the World Cup semifinals in Qatar in 2022 and won the Africa Cup of Nations last year, making this the only group-stage match of the entire 2026 tournament that pits two top-ten-ranked nations against each other.
Brazil sits sixth in the FIFA world rankings and Morocco seventh, which makes the Group C opener one of the most compelling fixtures of the opening round.
The hope in the Brazilian camp is that Neymar will be fit enough to make his World Cup debut under Ancelotti in the group stage. Whether that happens against Haiti or Scotland remains to be seen.
