Neymar has been ruled out of Brazil’s upcoming friendlies and is set to miss the team’s World Cup opener after scans revealed a grade-two calf injury, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Thursday.
CBF doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said the 34-year-old forward faces two to three weeks on the sidelines after an MRI at Granja Comary confirmed a partial tear of the calf muscle rather than the swelling initially reported. Lasmar did not say whether Neymar could be dropped from the squad.
Neymar joined the team on Tuesday but missed Wednesday’s first training session and was sent to a private clinic in Teresópolis for imaging after complaining of swelling in his right calf.
🚨 BREAKING! 😬
Neymar has suffered a new injury and will be out for 2 to 3 weeks. 🇧🇷
He will miss the friendly games before the World Cup and could miss opening game against Morocco. 🇲🇦
🎥 @geglobo pic.twitter.com/CK0PZKUPRw
— Polymarket FC (@PolymarketFC) May 28, 2026The diagnosis contradicts the assessment given by his club, Santos, before the squad was announced. Santos doctor Rodrigo Zogaib had said the issue was only swelling and that Neymar would arrive fit to train on Tuesday.
Brazil’s all-time leading scorer will miss Sunday’s friendly against Panama at the Maracanã and the following match against Egypt in Cleveland. He is also all but ruled out of Brazil’s World Cup opener against Morocco on June 13 in New Jersey. Brazil are in Group C alongside Haiti and Scotland.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti was already without defenders Gabriel Magalhães and Marquinhos and forward Gabriel Martinelli for Sunday, following their involvement in the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.
Read: Neymar Brazil Squad Place Confirmed For World Cup
Neymar’s recall last week drew wide attention after he was absent from Ancelotti’s plans during the Italian’s first year in charge. The forward has scored 79 goals in 128 international appearances. In a Reuters interview in early May, Ancelotti said Neymar would receive no special treatment and that his selection would rest on fitness and form, not sentiment.
