Neymar has been ruled out of Brazil's group stage and will not face Haiti on 19 June, the team confirmed, with the knockout rounds now the target for his return 1. The forward, Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 79 international goals, has not played since a calf strain sidelined him before the opener.
The absence extends a timeline first flagged when Brazil were confirmed without him for the Morocco game , a match they drew 1-1. Carlo Ancelotti's side now face the group without the player the attack was rebuilt to feature, leaning instead on a younger forward line that has not yet convinced. Whether Neymar is fit if Brazil advance is the question that will trail every group result, a recovery clock running against a knockout draw that is not yet set.
