The Short Version
As of 11 June, Brazil open against Morocco on the 13th — and most likely without Neymar, who is nursing a grade-2 strain in his right calf. Before him, Rodrygo, Estêvão and Éder Militão had already fallen to injury. Ancelotti is not touching his 26, betting instead on the depth of one of the tournament’s most valuable squads.
The squad the Italian built is not whole
Carlo Ancelotti’s first World Cup in charge of Brazil opens with a subtraction. It is not the script the CBF imagined when it handed the Seleção to a coach with five Champions League titles. But it is the reality on the ground.
Brazil open against Morocco on Saturday, 13 June, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. And they will probably do it without the name that made the most noise on selection day. Neymar has been treating a grade-2 strain in his right calf since mid-May, according to ESPN, with a realistic return target no earlier than the group’s second game.
This is not panic. It is arithmetic. Brazil arrive strong — and wounded at the same time.
The Neymar case: called up, hurt, out of the opener
Neymar came back through the door of emotion and may walk out through the treatment room. It was his first call-up since October 2023, when he tore his ACL and vanished from the Brazil picture for nearly two years. Ancelotti picked him anyway. The crowd cheered his name louder than any other.
The trouble came next. The Santos number 10 felt the muscle problem before the trip and sat out both warm-up friendlies, against Panama (31 May) and Egypt (6 June). Tests on arrival confirmed a grade-2 tear — an estimated two to three weeks out.
The maths is cruel for the opener. Against Morocco on the 13th, he is not expected to play. The target shifts to the Haiti match on 19 June in Philadelphia. At 34, this should be the fourth and final World Cup of the Seleção’s all-time top scorer, with 79 goals. Time, this time, is against him.
Ancelotti did not blink. The coach made it clear he will not cut Neymar and that the 26 he chose are the 26 who will play the World Cup. If the forward is not ready for the first game, he will be for the second — that is the Italian’s public bet.
The absences that came before him
Before Neymar’s calf became the headline, three pieces had already fallen. And this is where the real size of the problem lives: it is not one injury, it is a run of them.
Rodrygo, of Real Madrid, dropped out on fitness grounds and did not make the final list. Estêvão, the 18-year-old Chelsea gem, lost his place to a thigh problem — and it was his slot, per ESPN’s injury tracker, that Neymar ended up filling. Éder Militão, the Real Madrid defender, also fell to injury, as Al Jazeera reported around the squad announcement.
Three players who, fit, would all be fighting for serious minutes. A creative full-back, an attacking prospect, a first-choice defender. Add it up, and a squad that looked like it was overflowing with options arrives with less slack than it should.
Why Brazil still frighten
Here the count swings back the other way. Because even subtracted, Brazil remain among the most expensive squads at the World Cup: valued at around €928 million by Transfermarkt, the sixth most valuable in the tournament on Yahoo Sports’ ranking. Not number one — France and Spain are ahead. The difference lives in the final third.
Vinícius Júnior. Raphinha. Matheus Cunha. The attack is spearheaded by Vinícius ($174m) and Raphinha ($93m), and the list keeps going: Gabriel Martinelli, Endrick, Igor Thiago, Luiz Henrique and young Rayan round out a group of nine forwards. Raphinha, contrary to the speculation, arrives fully fit and is a near-certain starter on the right.
The spine commands respect too. Alisson in goal. Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhães at the back. Casemiro as the pivot, with Bruno Guimarães and Lucas Paquetá ahead of him. Ancelotti has alternated between a 4-2-4 and a 4-3-3, and the last warm-up suggested the second may win out.
Fast. Technical. Deep. Brazil lose names and still have a surplus of options — that is this Seleção’s paradox.
The Group C road does not forgive a slip
The calendar offers no warm-up. The opening opponent is Morocco, a 2022 semi-finalist and perhaps the most awkward side Brazil could have drawn first up, as ESPN’s official bracket lays out.
Then come Haiti, on 19 June in Philadelphia, and Scotland, on 24 June in Miami (full Group C table here). On paper, two more accessible games. But this is exactly the kind of group where a draw on the opening night turns the second match into an obligation.
If Neymar returns against Haiti, as projected, the Seleção get their number 10 back at the moment they most need to manage energy. If he does not, the depth Ancelotti praised so highly will be tested for real — and sooner than he would like. The World Cup, after all, begins for Brazil on 11 June, even if the team only takes the field two days later.
FAQ
Will Neymar play Brazil’s opener against Morocco? Most likely no. He is recovering from a grade-2 muscle strain in his right calf, and the staff are working with a possible return only from the group’s second game onward.
What is Neymar’s injury? A grade-2 strain in his right calf, with an estimated recovery window of two to three weeks from mid-May.
When could Neymar return at the World Cup? The realistic target is the second Group C match, against Haiti, on 19 June in Philadelphia. If he is not ready, the next window would be against Scotland on 24 June.
Will Ancelotti replace Neymar in the squad? No. The coach has said he is keeping his 26 and will not change the list because of the injury.
Which other players has Brazil lost to injury? Rodrygo, Estêvão and Éder Militão were left off the final list with physical problems, thinning the attacking and defensive options before the tournament even began.
When and where does Brazil open the 2026 World Cup? On Saturday, 13 June, against Morocco, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Who are Brazil’s Group C opponents? Morocco, Haiti and Scotland. Brazil face Morocco on 13 June, Haiti on 19 June and Scotland on 24 June.
Is Brazil’s attack still strong despite the absences? Yes. Even without Neymar in the opener, Brazil keep Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha, Matheus Cunha, Gabriel Martinelli, Endrick and others — one of the most valuable forward groups at the tournament.
Who is Brazil’s coach at the 2026 World Cup? Carlo Ancelotti, in his first World Cup in charge of the Seleção, chasing Brazil’s sixth world title.
Why is the opener against Morocco considered tough? Morocco reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and is seen as one of the most dangerous Pot 2 sides, which makes a first-round slip especially costly.
About the author: Rafael Souza is a football correspondent for Canarinho Report, the Rio-based outlet founded in 2009 specializing in the Brazilian national team, the CBF and the Copa Libertadores. Contact: rafael.souza@canarinhoreport.com.br · LinkedIn: /in/rafaelsouza-canarinho · X: @RafaelCanarinho
