Brazil sweat on Neymar fitness ahead of crucial Haiti clash

Brazil could be without Neymar for their crucial FIFA 2026 World Cup Group C match against Haiti after the forward continues his recovery from a calf injury.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed on Thursday that the 34-year-old will not travel with the squad to Philadelphia and will instead remain in New Jersey to continue his rehabilitation.

A CBF statement said: “Neymar will not travel with the squad to Philadelphia. He will remain in New Jersey to optimise the final stage of his recovery, utilising the excellent facilities at The Ridge hotel and the Columbia Park training complex.”

Neymar targets Scotland return

Neymar’s absence means his earliest opportunity to rejoin the squad could come ahead of Brazil’s final Group C fixture against Scotland in Miami next Wednesday.

Whether he will be fit enough to feature remains uncertain, with Brazil closely monitoring his progress.

The Santos forward has not played for more than a month after suffering the injury while playing for his club and was also unavailable for Brazil’s opening 1-1 draw against Morocco.

Brazil seek knockout-stage berth

Carlo Ancelotti’s side still has work to do to secure qualification for the knockout rounds following their stalemate with Morocco.

The five-time world champions will hope to collect a vital three points against Haiti before facing Scotland in their final group match.

Neymar’s continued absence is a concern for Brazil, who included him in their World Cup squad despite his lengthy injury layoff and limited recent international action.

Fourth World Cup ambition

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has not played for Brazil since October 2023 due to a combination of injuries and inconsistent form.

However, he remains determined to feature at his fourth FIFA World Cup after previously representing Brazil in 2014, 2018 and 2022.

Neymar was instrumental in Brazil’s run to the semi-finals on home soil in 2014 before a back injury ruled him out of the last-four clash against Germany, where Brazil suffered a historic 7-1 defeat.

He also experienced quarter-final exits in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 and will be hoping to help Brazil mount another title challenge if he can return to full fitness before the knockout stages.