Vinicius Junior suffered an injury during Brazil’s match against Paraguay in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, raising concerns about the length of his absence and whether it would affect his participation with Real Madrid in the Club World Cup.
Vinicius left the match in the 78th minute after scoring the winning goal for his country, suffering from an injury that at first glance appeared to be minor.
Initial reports indicated that the Brazilian international had sustained a thigh muscle injury, and that he would need at least a week to recover, making his participation in the Club World Cup opener against Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia highly doubtful.
However, in recent hours, Brazilian media outlets have reassured him that Vinicius’ injury is not as serious as previously reported, and was not actually a thigh muscle injury.
So far, the 25-year-old has reportedly injured his upper thigh and has applied ice to the injury to reduce pain and swelling. Overall, it’s not a serious injury and he only needs a few hours to fully recover.
Thus, Vinicius will lead coach Xabi Alonso’s squad for the match against Al Hilal, scheduled for June 18.
It’s worth noting that Vinicius’ goal secured Brazil’s place in the 2026 World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti announced after the match that the injury was not serious and that he had substituted the player to prevent it from worsening.
