The Brazilian Football Confederation confirmed that Neymar will not be available for the team's second match at the 2026 World Cup due to a lingering calf injury.
The 34-year-old forward will not travel with his teammates to Philadelphia for the Group C fixture against Haiti. The confederation announced Thursday: "He will remain in New Jersey to optimize the final stage of his recovery."
Neymar is Brazil's all-time top scorer with 79 goals, surpassing the legendary Pelé's record of 77. He will continue his rehabilitation at the team's hotel base.
On Tuesday, Neymar returned to training for the first time, performing physical exercises. By Wednesday, he participated in part of the session with his teammates and received cheers as he entered the field. However, since joining the squad with a right leg injury, Neymar has never completed a full training session with the entire team.
Neymar's right calf injury occurred while playing for Santos on May 17. He underwent a medical examination on Monday to assess his progress. This will be Neymar's fourth World Cup, following his debut on home soil in 2014.
Brazil, a five-time world champion, opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Morocco last Saturday. Earlier, there had been much debate in Brazil over whether coach Carlo Ancelotti should have selected Neymar for this year's tournament.
