Neymar's Last Dance: The Injury Casting Doubt Over His World Cup Opener — and Unnerving All of Brazil

Brazil's forward Neymar looks on from the bench ahead of the international friendly football match between Brazil and Panama at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 31, 2026. (Credit: / AFP via Getty Images)

Brazil arrives at the 2026 World Cup with an open wound and one name at the center of every doubt: Neymar. The forward, who suffered a grade-II muscle strain in his right calf, did not travel with the squad to Cleveland for the final friendly against Egypt and is in serious doubt for the June 13 opener against Morocco.

The question gripping the country is no small one: is he 100%, or merely a symbolic presence meant to fire up a generation that still hasn't convinced anyone? At 34, with a body that no longer obeys him, Brazil wonders whether it is watching the last World Cup of its last superstar.