Neymar misses Brazil's World Cup clash with Haiti as calf injury forces second absence

Neymar has been ruled out of Brazil’s World Cup group stage match against Haiti in Philadelphia, the Brazilian Football Confederation confirmed on Thursday, marking his second consecutive absence at the tournament due to a persistent calf injury.

The CBF issued a bulletin stating that Neymar “will not travel with the squad to Philadelphia” and will instead remain in New Jersey to continue his recovery at The Ridge hotel and the Columbia Park training complex. He had already been sidelined for Brazil’s opening group game — a draw against Morocco last Saturday — despite being named in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.

The earliest Neymar could rejoin the squad is ahead of Brazil’s final group fixture against Scotland in Miami next Wednesday. That match carries added weight: Ancelotti’s side still need to secure their place in the knockout stages after failing to beat Morocco.

The 34-year-old has not played in over a month, having picked up the injury while on club duty with Santos. His absence from international football stretches back even further — he has not featured for Brazil since October 2023, a period marked by recurring injury setbacks and inconsistent form. Despite that, Ancelotti included him in the World Cup squad last month.

Should Neymar feature at this tournament, it would be his fourth World Cup appearance, having previously played in 2014, 2018, and 2022. He was a central figure in Brazil’s run to the semi-finals on home soil in 2014, only to miss the last-four tie against Germany through injury — a match Brazil lost 7-1 to the eventual champions.

In Russia four years later, Brazil were eliminated at the quarter-final stage by Belgium, and the same round ended their 2022 campaign in Qatar, where they were beaten on penalties by Croatia.

Neymar remains Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, with 79 goals in 128 international appearances.