Neymar has returned to full training as he bids to return to fitness in time to feature for Brazil at what could be his last World Cup.
The superstar forward has been out of acting nursing a calf problem sustained while playing for Santos in May, and underwent tests last week to determine the progress of his recovery.
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He is joined on the Brazil injury list by Raphinha, who suffered a hamstring problem against Haiti, though fellow World Cup star attacker Lamine Yamal has made his long-awaited return from injury for Spain, scoring in their drubbing of Saudi Arabia.
Elsewhere, Canada’s Alphonso Davies and USA’s Christian Pulisic are working their way towards returns while Germany’s Nico Schlotterbeck and England’s Tino Livramento are among the casualties who have had their World Cups ended by injury.
See below for a full list of key injuries at this year’s World Cup.
Neymar (Brazil)
Neymar is nearing a return after sustaining a grade two calf injury just three weeks out from the tournament.
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After missing Brazil’s first two games against Morocco and Haiti, he is in contention to make his first appearance in their final Group C clash against Scotland.
Team-mate Gabriel Martinelli asserted that Neymar looked ready, saying: “He’s performing at a very high level and you could see the intensity in today’s training session. You could see how keen he is to be with us, and his quality is unquestionable. Whether he’ll play or not is a question for the manager, but I think he’s in great shape.”
Neymar missed Brazil’s opener due to a calf injury (Getty)
Lamine Yamal (Spain)
The 18-year-old star injured his left hamstring and had been out since 22 April, but he has now made his long-awaited return to action, starting and scoring for Spain in their drubbing of Saudi Arabia.
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Yamal was brought off at half-time but Spain boss Luis de la Fuente confirmed this was only to spare their star winger with the game already being out of sight.
“Had we had a different result, he would’ve played for longer but given the result and that the match was under control, we considered his contribution was enough for us to have him in the next game,” he said.
Lamine Yamal is back available for Spain (Getty)
Christian Pulisic (United States)
The co-hosts’ star player shone in the first-half of USA’s 4-1 win against Paraguay in Los Angeles but was withdrawn by Mauricio Pochettino at half-time due to a calf problem.
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The US remained without Pulisic for their win over Australia, which sealed their place in the knockout stages.
“It was impossible for him today to play,” Pochettino said. “We hope that next game he will be available but if we want to win the competition we need the whole team.
“All of the players need to be important but of course Christian is one of the best players in the world and I hope that he can recover as soon as possible and can show it on the pitch and help the team.”
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The US play Turkey in their final group outing next Friday.
Christian Pulisic was withdrawn at half-time in USA’s opening win against Paraguay (Getty)
Bukayo Saka (England)
Saka has been managing a long-term Achilles problem and is yet to start a game at this World Cup, though has made cameos off the bench in both of England’s opening two group games against Croatia and Ghana.
“Bukayo is ready and will get more and more ready,” Tuchel said after the win over Croatia. “Once we get to the last game in the group it is the moment. He was strong yesterday [Tuesday] in training in small spaces. It’s just a matter of if the game is open and up and down.”
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Tuchel has since said Saka is free of pain and could start for the Three Lions in their final group outing against Panama.
Bukayo Saka allayed injury fears after featuring for England against Croatia (Getty)
Declan Rice (England)
Rice was removed on 72 minutes during England’s opening 4-2 win over Croatia after complaining of discomfort in his lower back and hamstring. As such, he was a doubt to start against Ghana, but he played the full 90 plus added time anyway as his side drew 0-0. Then, after the game, he was seen appearing to limp through the mixed zone while sporting bandaging on his calf.
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Will he be fit for England’s final group-stage game, against Panama on Saturday? That now remains to be seen, with England still chasing a top-spot finish in Group L.
Declan Rice of England against Ghana (Getty)
Raphinha (Brazil)
Raphinha suffered a hamstring injury during Brazil’s 3-0 win over Haiti on Friday.
He limped off at the end of the first half of the contest in Philadelphia and was seen walking gingerly out of the stadium after the game’s conclusion.
The Barcelona star has undergone treatment on a hamstring injury with the hope of him returning to the World Cup, the country’s national team said Saturday.
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Raphinha is set to go through an intensive treatment protocol with the aim of resuming normal activities in a short period of time, the confederation said.
Raphinha limped off with a hamstring problem against Haiti (Reuters)
Nico Schlotterbeck (Germany)
The central defender will miss the remainder of the tournament and faces several months on the sidelines due to an ankle ligament injury. The setback was confirmed by the national team on 22 June, two days after their 2-1 Group E victory over Ivory Coast.
Schlotterbeck, a key figure in the German defence, sustained the injury early in the match and was substituted at half-time for Antonio Rüdiger. A subsequent scan revealed the Borussia Dortmund player had torn a ligament in his left ankle, specifically the medial collateral ligament.
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Nico Schlotterbeck’s tournament is over (Getty)
Cristian Romero (Argentina)
Argentina centre-back Romero was forced off during Argentina’s win over Austria after picking up a knee problem, giving cause for concern regarding his future involvement this World Cup.
The Spurs man saw his foot stamped on by Marcel Sabitzer but began holding his knee, which was not subject to any contact.
Cristian Romero was forced off for Argentina (Reuters)
Alphonso Davies (Canada)
Canada’s captain and star player had to sit out their 1-1 draw against Bosnia on Friday in Toronto but returned to the bench for their 6-0 thrashing of Qatar in Vancouver on Thursday.
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He didn’t make a cameo but it will be hoped he can feature in their final group outing against Switzerland.
Bayern Munich’s Davies sustained a hamstring injury in May and the team remained tight-lipped about his recovery during Tuesday’s training session.
“Mentally, it was very draining, suffering these injuries,” Davies told reporters ahead of Canada’s opener. “I was going into a hole where I was doubting myself, but I had that time off (during the injuries) and I thought about why I’m doing this, and how important this is to me.”
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Alphonso Davies missed Canada’s opener (Reuters)
Aaron Hickey (Scotland)
Aaron Hickey trained alone at Scotland’s final session in Miami ahead of the World Cup clash with Brazil on Wednesday.
The right-back must surely be a doubt for the Group C clash as he deals with load management issues.
Hickey came off in the 1-0 Group C win over Haiti and was absent for the 1-0 defeat by Morocco on Friday at the Boston Stadium.
Aaron Hickey trained alone at Scotland’s final session before the Brazil clash (PA)
Wilfried Singo (Ivory Coast)
The Ivory Coast right-back was substituted during the second half against Germany, with Guela Doue coming on in his place after 82 minutes.
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Singo was seen clutching his left hamstring and sat on the bench in tears, covering his face his orange Elephants jersey.
Wilfried Singo receives treatment against Germany (Getty)
Tino Livramento (England)
England have been dealt their first real injury blow of the campaign after Newcastle defender Livramento was ruled out for the tournament with a calf injury.
Tuchel could have called up a raft of other full-back options, including Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly and Newcastle’s Lewis Hall. However the England manager chose to bring Trevoh Chalobah, a centre-back, into the fold.
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England’s Tino Livramento has been ruled out of the World Cup through injury (Bradley Collyer/PA) (PA Wire)
Ismael Kone
Canada midfielder Ismael Kone has undergone successful surgery to repair severe fractures in his lower left leg, after sustaining a horror injury during Thursday’s match against Qatar.
The injury, which involved both the tibia and fibula bones, means the 24-year-old will miss the remainder of the Fifa World Cup 2026 campaign.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch described the immediate aftermath, recalling he “could hear the bone snap.”
Ismael Singo was stretchered off after breaking his leg (Reuters)
Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)
Another confirmed absentee, Tottenham forward Kudus will miss the World Cup because of a quadricep injury.
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The 25-year-old has not featured since January, in a blow to Ghana – who are in England’s group.
Mohammed Kudus has been ruled out of the World Cup (Getty)
Wataru Endo (Japan)
Liverpool defensive midfielder Endo injured his foot in February and has been ruled out of the World Cup – and the 33-year-old has immediately retired from international duty.
“Since my injury, I’ve done everything I possibly could up to this point, so I have no regrets whatsoever,” he said. “From here on, I’ll be cheering for the Japan national team as one of the fans.”
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Wataru Endo has not played for Liverpool since February (Getty)
Jurrien Timber (Netherlands)
The Arsenal defender had been out since March due to a groin problem, but came on in the second half of the Champions League final against PSG.
However, the Dutch FA believe Timber had “not recovered sufficiently” to take part in the tournament in a “medically responsible manner.”
As such, Timber has left the Dutch squad and been ruled out of the World Cup.
Jurrien Timber has been ruled out of the World Cup (Getty)
Lennart Karl (Germany)
The 18-year-old was expected to be one of the young stars of this tournament but suffered a torn thigh muscle in training, ruling him out of the World Cup.
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Lennart Karl has been ruled out of the World Cup (Getty)
Billy Gilmour (Scotland)
It was heartbreak for Scotland’s creative midfielder Gilmour, as he suffered an injury in their warm-up victory against Curacao.
The 24-year-old Napoli player picked up a knee injury in the 4-1 win, with teammate Scott McTominay saying he was “absolutely devastated” by the news.
Gilmour was, however, in camp to support his teammates ahead of their opening win against Haiti on Saturday.
Billy Gilmour suffered a knee injury in Scotland’s warm-up game against Curacao (PA)
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