Neymar’s World Cup 2026 story is basically an injury-and-fitness watch, not a dramatic disappearance. As of June 2026, he was in Brazil’s squad but had missed early matches because of fitness issues, and reports said he was being managed carefully as he tried to return.

What happened

  • Brazil named Neymar in the squad for the tournament, but he had not been fully fit after injury problems.
  • He missed Brazil’s opener against Morocco because of injury, with coach Carlo Ancelotti hoping he could feature later in the group stage.
  • He also sat out the Haiti match and did not travel with the team for that game.
  • By June 25, previews suggested he still had a chance to appear against Scotland, and one report said he came off the bench in that match.

Simple read

In plain terms, Neymar was not ruled out of the World Cup , but he was being eased back because of recurring injury concerns. The big question in late June was whether he could stay healthy enough to become a regular starter for Brazil.

TL;DR

Neymar was on Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad, but injury issues kept him out of some early games; by late June, he was close to returning and had reportedly appeared off the bench.