Neymar to miss out on Brazil’s second World Cup match against Haiti

Neymar Jr will not be a part of Brazil's second World Cup Group Stage match against Haiti. The Brazilian Football Federation (Confederação Brasileira de Futebol or CBF) announced on Thursday that the player will not travel with the team to Philadelphia for the upcoming Group C fixture.

Neymar yet to make debut at the FIFA World Cup 2026

The CBF has confirmed that their star player, Neymar will not play in Brazil's upcoming match against Haiti on June 19, 2026 and will not even travel with the rest of the team.

The 34-year-old player has been dealing with a right calf injury and was not fully fit when he joined the Brazilian camp before the World Cup. He has been in recovery and training separately and was not available for his country's opener against Morocco which ended in a 1-1 draw.

In the announcement, CBF said, "He will remain in New Jersey to optimise the final phase of his recovery process, making use of the excellent facilities at The Ridge hotel and the Columbia Park training centre".

Neymar is still under recovery

Neymar briefly resumed normal training for the first time when he joined his teammates like Raphinha, Gabriel Magalhães, Fabinho and Bruno Guimarães during their practice on Wednesday.

Before the World Cup, there was significant confusion regarding Neymar's place in the squad, with many believing his recent injury woes will make him miss the tournament. However, Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti named him in the World Cup squad, saying that he continues to be a key player whose experience is valued.

"When we included him in the roster, we added him for his technical abilities, which are indisputable. But we also want him for his experience and the example he sets for the young players on the team", the manager said.

Neymar has not played a single match for the senior Brazil team since October 17, 2023 following an ACL and meniscus injury that kept him out for a long time. Before Saturday's game against Morocco, Carlo had assured fans saying, "Neymar is working very hard to recover as soon as possible. Our expectation is that he will recover and rejoin the group next week". However, the wait seems to be longer now.

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