Is Neymar playing in Brazil vs Morocco at FIFA World Cup 2026 today? Coach Carlo Ancelotti shares important update

Head coach Carlo Anclotti will have his task cut out as Brazil take on Morocco in their Group C campaign opener at the FIFA World Cup 2026 on the wee hours of Sunday. While Brazil are a five-time champions, Morocco showed the entire world about their capability when they became the first African national in 2022 in Qatar to make it to the semifinals.

Ahead of the highly-anticipated game, the major taking point is the availability of Neymar, who broke into the 26-man roster despite carrying an injury. The former Barcelona star is carrying a calf problem and is understood to not have started training in full tilt.

However, dashing all hopes of Neymar's fans globally, Ancelotti confirmed that the 34-year-old will be warming the bench when Brazil take the field at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford. The development came when Ancelotti broke the news at the pre-match presser.

“Neymar is working very hard to recover as quickly as possible. The expectation is that he will recover and rejoin the group next week. When we call up Neymar, we call him not only for his technical quality, which is indisputable, but also for his experience and the example he can set for the young players in this group,” Ancelotti told reporters.

When will Neymar return to full training?

According to Ancelotti, Neymar will return to full training next week. If all goes well, the Brazil superstar might get some minutes under his belt against Haiti on June 19 during Brazil's second group-stage game. It is pretty much certain that the Brazil think-tank are playing it safe with Neymar, who has a history of injuries previously at World Cups.

The best chance for Neymar in the starting XI looks to be against Scotland in Brazil's final group game on June 25. By that time, Neymar should completely recover and ready for a full-go in the knockout stages.

Who will replace Neymar at Brazil's starting XI?

Finding a like-for-like replacement for Neymar is tough for Ancelotti and his absence from the starting line-up jeorpardises the formation. In such a situation, Ancelotti is likely to play Raphinha from his usual spot in the flank to fill the central attacking midfielder role, usually occupied by Neymar.

With Raphinha moving into the middle, Lucas Paqueta will move to the right wing. There is also a chance that Paqueta might play central while Raphinha taking a wide position in the right flank. In the central forward position, Ancelotti may give Igor Thiago the nod, although the likes of Matheus Cunha and Endrick are also strong contenders in rotation.

Brazil vs Morocco starting line-ups

Brazil: Alisson Becker; Roger Ibanez, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Douglas Santos; Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes; Raphinha, Lucas Paqueta, Vinicius Junior; Igor Thiago.

Morocco: Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Chadi Riad, Noussair Mazraoui; Neil El Aynaoui, Ayyoub Bouaddi; Brahim Diaz, Azzedine Ounahi, Bilal El Khannouss; Ismael Saibari.rocco in India?

ZEE5 has secured the broadcast deal for the FIFA World Cup 2026 for Indian audience. The Brazil vs Morocco Group C clash will be telecast live on Unite8 Sports 2, Unite8 Sports 2 HD (both English) and Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD (both Hindi) channels from 3:30 AM on June 14. Live streaming of Brazil vs Morocco will be available on ZEE5 app and website.

Get all updates from FIFA World Cup 2026 here, along with FIFA World Cup 2026 Complete Schedule and FIFA World Cup 2026 Points Table.