{"id":970,"date":"2026-06-16T02:18:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T02:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/?p=970"},"modified":"2026-06-16T02:18:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T02:18:50","slug":"neymar-injury-update-brazil-star-could-miss-entire-fifa-world-cup-group-stage-football-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/?p=970","title":{"rendered":"Neymar injury update: Brazil star could miss entire FIFA World Cup group stage | Football News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-131757248,imgsize-146624,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/neymar.jpg\" alt=\"Neymar injury update: Brazil star could miss entire FIFA World Cup group stage\" title=\"Brazil's Neymar (AP Photo)\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Brazil's Neymar (AP Photo)\">Brazil&#8217;s Neymar (AP Photo)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Brazil&#8217;s hopes of having Neymar available anytime soon at the <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/fifa-world-cup\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FIFA World Cup<\/a> suffered another setback on Monday after the veteran forward underwent fresh tests on his injured right calf, casting further doubt over his long-awaited tournament debut.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>There had been optimism that the Santos star would rejoin training after sitting out since Brazil&#8217;s preparations began in Morristown, New Jersey. Instead, the 34-year-old headed to a clinic for additional examinations, with the Brazilian Football Confederation yet to disclose the results.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"7\"\/>The development has intensified concerns that Neymar could miss the entire group stage as Brazil&#8217;s medical team prioritises his long-term fitness over a rushed comeback.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/> <span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Knockout stages remain the target<br \/><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>According to Brazilian media reports, the five-time world champions are carefully managing Neymar&#8217;s recovery from the grade-two calf injury he suffered while playing for Santos on May 17.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"18\"\/>The veteran has not participated in a full training session and remains restricted to gym work and rehabilitation. Although his workload has gradually increased, he has yet to rejoin his teammates on the pitch and will only be cleared for full sessions when he is completely pain-free.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/>Reports from ESPN, cited by Goal.com, suggested Brazil are focused on preparing Neymar for the knockout stages rather than risking a premature return that could end his tournament altogether.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>The cautious approach means Neymar is unlikely to feature against Haiti in Philadelphia on Friday and could even miss Brazil&#8217;s final group-stage fixture against Scotland on June 24.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/>Head coach Carlo Ancelotti recently underlined the importance of the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>&#8220;Neymar is working very hard to recover as quickly as possible,&#8221; Ancelotti said. &#8220;When we called up Neymar, we did it not just because of his technical quality, which is undeniable. But also because of his experience. He could represent an example for the younger players on the team.&#8221;<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Brazil feeling Neymar&#8217;s absence<br \/><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>Neymar&#8217;s injury has become an even bigger talking point following Brazil&#8217;s disappointing 1-1 draw against Morocco in their World Cup opener.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>Brazil struggled creatively against the African side, leading to renewed calls for the experienced playmaker&#8217;s return despite the debate surrounding his inclusion in Carlo Ancelotti&#8217;s squad.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>Some critics questioned whether the 34-year-old deserved a place, arguing that Brazil should have invested in younger options. Others believe his experience and creativity remain vital in a pressure-filled tournament.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Joy off the field<br \/><\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>Amid the uncertainty surrounding his World Cup, Neymar received happier news away from football.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"44\"\/>The Brazilian and his partner Bruna Biancardi announced on social media that they are expecting their third daughter. Neymar also has a teenage son from a previous relationship.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"46\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/neymar-injury-update-brazil-star-could-miss-entire-fifa-world-cup-group-stage\/articleshow\/131757224.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brazil&#8217;s Neymar (AP Photo) Brazil&#8217;s hopes of having Neymar available anytime soon at the FIFA World Cup suffered another setback on Monday after the veteran forward underwent fresh tests on his injured right calf, casting further doubt over his long-awaited tournament debut.There had been optimism that the Santos star would rejoin training after sitting out&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":971,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportracker.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}