Neymar’s Brazil World Cup roster chances get major news after Real Madrid star injury

Brazil is always going to be one of the most anticipated teams at every World Cup, and the 2026 edition in North America will be no exception.

But the Selecao learned this week that they’ll be at least a little shorthanded at the tournament after a crushing injury to one of their most talented attackers — although it could actually be good news for Neymar.

Rodrygo, who stars in La Liga for Real Madrid, has torn an ACL. He will be out beyond the World Cup.

It was a brutal blow for Brazil and for Los Blancos, as Rodrygo only just made his return from injury on Monday against Getafe.

He went down early in the match, played for another half hour, but eventually came off.

Real Madrid confirmed that Rodrygo will miss the rest of the season with a ruptured ACL and a torn lateral meniscus in his right leg.

Brazil will get its first peak at a lineup without Rodrygo in a few weeks when they play friendlies against France and Croatia.

Rodrygo was widely considered a lock for the World Cup roster. The 25-year old has scored nine goals in 37 senior appearances for the Brazilian national team.

He has been with Real Madrid since 2019, having netted 33 goals in 191 games.

Rodrygo arrived at Real Madrid after a couple of years as a phenom at Santos in Brazil.

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The load with Brazil will fall even more heavily on Rodrygo’s Real Madrid teammate, Vinicius Jr., as well as Barcelona star Raphinha.

Neymar’s status for the World Cup remains to be seen. Fans of the Selecao would certainly love to see him selected. The head man, Carlo Ancelotti, will have to feel confident that Neymar can be a real contributor.

Ancelotti has already made clear that Neymar won’t make the tournament just based on his name. He’ll have to earn it.

With Rodrygo now out of consideration, though, it’s one step closer to Neymar being in the squad this summer.

If Neymar is called up for the upcoming friendlies and looks sharp, he’ll have a great chance to join Brazil with hopes of claiming the World Cup in North America.

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