Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti has provided a positive injury update on their star player Neymar Jr who missed the Selecao’s opening Group C matches against Morocco and Haiti at the FIFA World Cup 2026. Ancelotti has confirmed that the former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward is close to making his return at the first-ever 48-team tournament.
Neymar missed Brazil’s opening two group matches against Morocco and Haiti due to a right calf injury. He had sustained a grade two calf strain on May 17 while playing for his club Santos. It kept him out of full team training during the initial stages of Brazil’s World Cup campaign.
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Carlo Ancelotti had initially hoped to have the forward available earlier but the coaching and medical staff chose not to rush his recovery.
Speaking after Brazil’s 2nd Group C match against Haiti, Ancelotti gave a timeline for Neymar’s return to action.
The former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich manager stated that Neymar would undergo an individual training session before joining the rest of the squad for training. Ancelotti expressed his confidence about the Santos forward Neymar being available for selection in Brazil’s last Group C match against Scotland in Miami.
Neymar, who is Brazil’s all-time leading goal scorer, has been building up his fitness at the team’s base in New Jersey. He did not even travel for the 2nd match to ensure he could complete his rehabilitation.
What happened in the Brazil vs Haiti match?
Meanwhile, Brazil bounced back from their opening-day draw against Morocco by securing a commanding 3-0 victory over Haiti at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Carlo Ancelotti made a couple of changes to his starting lineup as he brought in Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha, a decision that paid off quickly.
Cunha scored twice in the 1st half itself, netting in the 23rd and 36th minutes to put Brazil in complete control. Vinicius Junior then added a 3rd goal just before half-time to confirm their win even before the full-time whistle. The victory helped Brazil reach the summit of Group C with 4 points to their name.
Morocco, who registered a narrow 1-0 victory over Scotland in the subsequent fixture, is the other team from Group C that is contention for direct qualification to the round of 32. Haiti, who returned to the quadrennial event for the first time since 1974, has been eliminated while Scotland hold a narrow chance to go through, depending on what happens in their group concluder.
How to watch and stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in India
Multiple group-stage matches that will take place simultaneously will be aired across Zee5 app and website.
