World Cup 2026: Ancelotti rules out Raphinha, confirms Neymar's return

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed Raphinha will miss the World Cup match against Scotland due to injury. However, he stated that star forward Neymar is fully fit and available for selection after recovering from a calf issue.

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Barcelona forward Raphinha will miss his country's final FIFA World Cup 2026 group-stage match against Scotland on Wednesday (local time), while stating that Neymar is fully fit and available to play the entire game if required.

Seleção Brasileira desembarca em Miami ✈️🇧🇷#BateNoPeito 📸 Rafael Ribeiro/CBF pic.twitter.com/8hngaPEMJI — brasil (@CBF_Futebol) June 24, 2026

Raphinha limped off from the field in the 40th minute of Brazil's 4-0 win over Haiti in their previous group-stage encounter after picking up an injury. The winger later expressed optimism over his recovery, posting on Instagram that he will "do everything in my power to recover and return as soon as possible."

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Ancelotti said Brazil's focus remains on fielding the strongest possible lineup for the decisive fixture. "We're thinking of nothing else but playing a good match with the best possible line-up; the same goes for the forwards," he said, via Globo as quoted by The Athletic. The head coach added, "We have a clear idea of who will replace Raphinha; there's no point worrying about cards."

Neymar declared fully fit

Meanwhile, Neymar has not featured in Brazil's opening two matches due to a calf issue, but Ancelotti confirmed the forward is now fully available for selection.

"He is available, he trained very well this week," Ancelotti said. "He is fit and able and ready to play. We are very happy he is back. He is a high-quality player."

He further added that Neymar could feature for the full 90 minutes or be used from the bench, depending on match requirements. "He can play from half-time or the whole 90 minutes. He is very well, he worked very hard, so he is ready. His attitude is very good, he's in good spirits, he's a good player, a good teammate. He's very serious, and we want to get him back to playing as soon as possible. I'm very happy. He brings experience, knowledge -- he is doing very well."

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