A huge Round of 16 match at the 2026 World Cup is expected to feature many of the game’s biggest stars, but Raphinha will not be in Brazil‘s starting lineup against Norway.
The reason Raphinha is not starting against Norway is that he is still recovering from the muscle injury he suffered during Brazil’s second group-stage match, a 3-0 victory over Haiti in which he was unable to finish the game.
The left-footed player injured his hamstring in the 40th minute before being substituted. Raphinha then missed Brazil’s final group-stage match against Scotland and was also unavailable for the Round of 32 victory over Japan.
Carlo Ancelotti on Raphinha
Having Raphinha available would be a major boost for Brazil in such an important knockout match even if Carlo Ancelotti has decided not to rush his return while he continues to recover.
Raphinha left the field when Brazil beat Haiti (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
The manager did provide encouraging news in his pre-match press conference, revealing that Raphinha could still play a role after initially being expected to miss even more time.
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Ancelotti said: “Raphinha might be on the bench to play a few minutes, so we might be able to use him, but he is recovering very fast and we are very happy. That’s because he is a very important player for our team.”
The next match
With how tight the matches have been in this competition, no team can afford to take a day off because every mistake can be decisive. However, the bracket has already been set for those looking ahead, as the winner will play against the winner of the match between Mexico and England in the quarterfinals.
