Neymar Jr. could miss out on the next Brazil squad for the South American World Cup qualifiers in September. The Santos FC forward, who hasn't featured since 2023, is suffering from a muscular injury.
Santos FC confirmed on Sunday that Neymar is suffering from a muscular edema in his right thigh, on the eve of Carlo Ancelotti's squad announcement for Brazil's last two South American World Cup qualifying matches against Chile and Bolivia.
According to club sources, Neymar felt some discomfort in training. He will need treatment for at least a week and could be back in action on the 31st, when Santos FC face Fluminense in the Brazilian League.
The former FC Barcelona and PSG player was not in the squad for this Sunday's match against Bahia, also in the Brazilian Championship, as he is serving a one-match suspension for accumulating yellow cards.
The big question raised by his new injury is whether the 33-year-old, who has suffered serious physical problems since 2023, will be in the squad that Ancelotti will announce this Monday for Brazil's matches against Chile and Bolivia.
The first of these matches will be played on 4 September in Rio de Janeiro and the second, on the last day of the South American qualifier for the 2026 World Cup, will be in the city of El Alto, near La Paz.
The Italian coach took over the Brazilian national team in the middle of this year, after leaving Real Madrid, and on Monday he will announce the players who will play in those two matches, among whom Neymar was expected, who has not played for the national team since October 2023 due to recurring physical problems. He was called up in March, but had to drop out of the squad.
In recent weeks, the player had hinted that he was recovering some of his football, but even so he could not avoid the embarrassing 6-0 thrashing that Santos FC suffered against Vasco da Gama in the last match of the Brazilian Championship, which kept the team on the verge of the relegation zone.
Brazil have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup, while Chile have been eliminated and Bolivia are eighth in the table with 17 points, one below Venezuela, who are in the play-off spot.