Brazil will be without star forward Neymar for its upcoming World Cup preparation match against Egypt as he continues recovering from a calf injury, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed on Thursday.
The veteran attacker has been sidelined after suffering a grade-two strain in his calf muscle last week.
Medical assessments indicated that the injury would require several weeks of recovery, ruling him out of Saturday’s friendly.
According to the CBF, Neymar will not join the squad for the trip to Cleveland. Instead, he will remain in New Jersey, where he is undergoing rehabilitation and following an intensive recovery program under medical supervision.
The absence is another setback for the 34-year-old, who has faced a series of injury problems in recent years.
Brazil’s record goalscorer, with 79 goals in 128 appearances, has not played for the national team since October 2023, when he suffered a serious knee injury during a World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay.
After returning to Santos in January 2025, Neymar has struggled to regain consistent fitness.
Since then, he has made limited appearances and has been unable to enjoy a lengthy run of matches.
Brazil is preparing for its World Cup campaign, which begins with a Group C clash against Morocco in New Jersey.
The five-time world champions will then face Haiti in Philadelphia before taking on Scotland in Miami.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
-20260527062401.jpg)
