Neymar is not playing for Brazil right now because of a lingering calf injury, and Brazil’s staff has said he needs more time to recover fully before he can return to full match fitness.

What happened

  • He picked up a grade 2 calf strain in May 2026, which was expected to sideline him for about two to three weeks.
  • That injury kept him out of Brazil’s warm-up matches and made him a doubt for the World Cup opener against Morocco.
  • Later reports said he also missed Brazil’s second group match against Haiti while continuing rehab.

Bigger context

  • This is part of a longer injury run for Neymar, who has not played for Brazil since tearing his ACL in October 2023.
  • Brazil’s coach Carlo Ancelotti has also emphasized that Neymar has to be physically ready before he is used again, even though his talent is unquestioned.

In plain terms

So the short version is: he’s out because Brazil are managing an injury, not because he’s been dropped for football reasons. His return depends on how quickly the calf heals and whether he can train normally again.

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