Neymar continues to be absent from the Brazil squad as his recovery from a calf injury is not yet complete.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has confirmed that Neymar will not be traveling with the national team to Philadelphia to prepare for their Group C match against Haiti at the 2026 World Cup.
Instead, the 34-year-old striker remained in New Jersey to continue his recovery from a right calf injury. According to the CBF, Neymar will train at The Ridge hotel and the Columbia Park training center to optimize the final stage of his recovery.
This is the second consecutive match that Neymar has been unable to play for the Selecao since the tournament began.
On June 18th, the former Barcelona and PSG star made his first appearance on the training ground with his teammates since the Brazilian national team assembled for the World Cup. Neymar participated in the warm-up with Raphinha, Bruno Guimaraes, Gabriel Magalhães, and Fabinho before separating to continue his individual training.
When appearing before the media, he even cheerfully asked, "Do you all remember me?"
The day before, Neymar had returned to the training ground to do light jogging exercises under the supervision of the coaching staff. This was his first time exercising on the pitch since arriving in the United States.
Neymar suffered a calf injury while playing for Santos on May 17th. Despite not being fully recovered, he was still included in coach Carlo Ancelotti's squad for the 2026 World Cup.
According to Brazilian media, the team's medical staff is aiming to help Neymar reach peak physical condition for the knockout rounds. This means he is likely to miss the final group stage match against Scotland.
Neymar hasn't played for the Brazilian national team since October 2023, when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament and damaged his meniscus in a World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay in South America.
According to data from Transfermarkt, the striker born in 1992 has spent nearly 700 days away from playing for the national team due to injury and recovery.
In the 1-1 draw against Morocco in the opening match, Neymar was included in the squad list but did not wear the match kit and only watched the game from the bench.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti remains optimistic about his player's situation. "Neymar is working very hard to return as soon as possible. We expect him to rejoin the team next week," the Italian strategist said.
Brazil currently has one point after drawing with Morocco and will face Haiti and then Scotland in order to compete for a place in the next round in Group C.