It has been officially confirmed that Neymar da Silva will miss Brazil’s final friendly match against Egypt, scheduled for Sunday morning, ahead of the World Cup 2026.
An official statement revealed that Neymar will remain in New Jersey to continue physiotherapy for his injury, rather than traveling to Cleveland with Carlo Ancelotti’s squad to face the Pharaohs.
Both Neymar and the medical staff are fully focused on his recovery, aiming to have the superstar fit in time to help the Seleção in their quest for the World Cup title across the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Carlo Ancelotti Optimistic About Neymar’s World Cup Fitness
Manager Carlo Ancelotti previously expressed strong optimism regarding Neymar’s chances of recovering in time for Brazil’s World Cup opening match against Morocco. However, even if he misses the opener, the secondary goal is to ensure he is fully ready for the following group-stage fixture against Haiti.
Regardless, Brazil’s medical team is taking an extremely cautious approach with the forward. They have no intention of risking him or giving him any minutes on the pitch until he is 100% fit. Any setback to his calf injury would completely shatter his hopes of playing even a single minute for the Samba Kings at this World Cup.
World Cup 2026 Preparations: Egypt and Brazil Recent Results
As part of their final tournament preparations, Egypt recently secured a 1-0 friendly victory over Russia in Cairo. Meanwhile, Brazil displayed dominant form by crushing Panama 6-2 in their opening warm-up match.
