Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Neymar will be available for the Seleção’s final Group C match against Scotland at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after recovering from a calf injury.
Brazil's Neymar attends the pre-match ceremony ahead of the Group C match between Brazil and Morocco at New Jersey Stadium during the FIFA World Cup 2026 in New York, the United States, on Saturday, June 13, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua via IANS)
Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Neymar will be available for the Seleção’s crucial final Group C fixture against Scotland, handing the five-time world champions a timely boost in their bid to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stage.
The 34-year-old has yet to feature at the tournament after suffering a right calf injury while playing for Santos on May 17. Neymar missed Brazil’s opening 1-1 draw with Morocco and remained sidelined for Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Haiti in Philadelphia.
Advertisement
However, Ancelotti revealed after the win that the veteran forward is nearing full fitness and is expected to return to the squad setup in the coming days.
Advertisement
“Neymar will be training tomorrow alone, and on Monday with the team. He will be available for the match against Scotland,” Ancelotti said.
Since linking up with the national team, Neymar has followed an individual recovery programme and has not taken part in a full training session. Although he was included on the bench for Brazil’s opener against Morocco, he was not called into action. The Brazilian Football Confederation later confirmed that he would remain in New Jersey during the Haiti match to continue rehabilitation from a grade-two calf strain.
His impending return comes at an important moment for Brazil, who could be without Raphinha after the Barcelona winger was forced off in the first half against Haiti with a suspected hamstring problem.
“We need to evaluate him. We don’t know the severity yet,” Ancelotti said when asked about the injury.
Brazil bounced back emphatically from criticism following the Morocco draw, with Matheus Cunha scoring twice and Vinicius Junior adding another in the comfortable win over Haiti. The result significantly improved the team’s prospects of advancing from Group C.
Should Neymar return against Scotland, Brazil would welcome back not only their most experienced attacking player but also their all-time leading scorer. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has scored 79 goals in 129 appearances for the national team and is widely expected to be playing in his final World Cup.
With a place in the knockout rounds still to be secured and concerns over Raphinha’s fitness, attention will now turn to Neymar’s recovery as Brazil prepare for a decisive showdown with Scotland in Miami Gardens on Wednesday.
Advertisement
