Veteran forward Neymar Jr. is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, including eight goals over three previous World Cup appearances. File Photo by Chris Brunskill/UPI | License Photo
Neymar Jr. will not play in Brazil’s group stage meeting with Haiti at the 2026 World Cup, the Brazilian Football Confederation announced Thursday.
The Santos forward, who has been out for a month due to a right calf injury, trained with Brazil this week in Morristown, N.J.
“Neymar will not travel with the team to Philadelphia,” the CBF said. “He will remain in New Jersey to optimize the final phase of his recovery process, making use of the excellent facilities at the Ridge hotel and the Columbia Park training center.”
The Brazilians, who are ranked No. 5 in the FIFA world rankings, earned a 1-1 draw with No. 6 Morocco in their Group C opener Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J. They will meet No. 85 Haiti in their second group stage match Thursday in Philadelphia.
Neymar, 34, is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, with 79 goals over 128 appearances. He played in three previous World Cups. Brazil reached the quarterfinals in each of those appearances, including a fourth-place finish in 2014.
Neymar scored eight times over his previous 13 World Cup appearances.
Brazil will take on Haiti at 8:30 p.m. EDT Thursday at Philadelphia Stadium. The Brazilians will meet No. 37 Scotland in their group stage finale Wednesday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Scotland sits atop Group C after a 1-0 win over Haiti on Saturday in Foxborough, Mass. The winner of Group C will take on the second-place team from Group F in the Round of 32. The second-place team from Group C will meet the first-place team of Group F in another Round of 32 match.
Sweden (1-0-0) leads Group F. No. 17 Japan (0-0-1) and No. 8 Netherlands (0-0-1) are tied for second. No. 55 Tunisia (0-1-0) is in last place in Group F.
FIFA World Cup: Brazil ties with Morocco
Morocco’s Ismael Saibari (R) and Brazil’s Marquinhos fight for the ball in the second half of their FIFA World Cup match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on June 13, 2026. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
