Neymar's World Cup place remains live despite a Grade 2 calf injury, and Carlo Ancelotti is still speaking about him for Brazil's opener against Morocco. The forward was officially diagnosed on Thursday, with a recovery window of two to three weeks and Brazil's World Cup kickoff exactly two weeks away. Ancelotti also selected Neymar to his World Cup roster two weeks ago, his first call-up since 2023.
Why Ancelotti is still backing Neymar
The clearest line from Ancelotti was simple enough. “We expect Neymar in the first World Cup match against Morocco; if he can't make it, we'll wait for the second game,” he said. He was even firmer on the squad spot itself: “We're not swapping anyone out; the chosen players are these 26, and these 26 will play in the World Cup.”
That is a real vote of confidence, even if it is not a guarantee. Neymar was not on the list in March because he was not at 100%, but this time the message is different. Brazil are treating him as part of the plan, not as an emergency case to be dropped at the first sign of a setback.
What the calendar means for Brazil
The timing is tight. Brazil open against Morocco on 13 June 2026, which is the obvious target if Neymar recovers quickly enough. If not, Ancelotti has already pointed to the next game, against Haiti on 20 June 2026, as the fallback. The group stage then continues against Scotland on 24 June 2026.
Neymar missed his past three games for Santos, including Tuesday's Copa Sudamericana group stage win against Deportivo Cuenca. He arrived at Granja Comary but did not train on Wednesday, so the next few days will matter more than the noise around the squad list.
For now, the read is straightforward. Ancelotti is not backing away from Neymar, and Brazil are still leaving room for him to feature against Morocco or, if needed, in the second group match.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
