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Brazil national team coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Neymar will still feature in the 2026 World Cup despite currently dealing with an injury.

The forward sustained the injury shortly before joining Brazil’s training camp ahead of the quadrennial tournament.

Reports indicate that Neymar suffered the setback just two days after the Selecao announced their final squad for the 2026 World Cup.

At that time, the 34-year-old star was said to have swelling in his right calf.

According to reports from Santos, the recovery was initially expected to take only around 10 days.

However, after Neymar arrived at the Brazil training camp and underwent an MRI scan, the injury turned out to be more serious than first thought.

The former Paris Saint-Germain superstar was diagnosed with a Grade 2 calf injury, which is expected to sideline him for two to three weeks.

This situation led to speculation that Brazil might replace him with a fitter player ahead of the tournament.

But Ancelotti quickly dismissed those rumours, assuring that Neymar’s place in the squad remains secure.

The Italian manager made the statement during a press conference ahead of the team’s final preparations for the World Cup.

Ancelotti emphasised that Neymar will stay with the team until he is fully recovered and ready to play.

The former Real Madrid coach also stated that he isn’t worried if his star player misses the opening group-stage match.

Even if Neymar cannot feature in the first game, Ancelotti believes the ex-Barcelona forward will be ready for the second and final group matches.

As a result, the 66-year-old coach confirmed that he has no plans to replace or reshuffle his squad.

“To be clear, he (Neymar) will stay with us until he recovers and is fit to play,” said Ancelotti, as quoted by BolaSport.com from L’Equipe.

“We think he might be ready for the first match (against Morocco on June 14). If not, he will play in the second match (against Haiti on June 20).”

“We will not replace anyone. These are the 26 players selected, and these 26 players will compete in the World Cup.”

“Unfortunately, Neymar has a minor issue that prevents him from training with the group, but he is in excellent individual condition,” he added.

Before heading into the 2026 World Cup, Brazil will first play two friendly matches against Panama and Egypt.

The match against Panama is scheduled for Monday (June 1, 2026) at 04:30 WIB at the Maracana Stadium.

After that, the Selecao will fly to the United States for a training camp before facing Egypt.

The friendly against Egypt is set to take place in Ohio, United States, on Sunday (June 7, 2026) at 05:00 WIB.