Brazilian media worry that midfielder Lucas Paqueta has likely played his final match at the 2026 World Cup.
Paqueta encountered a problem in the final minutes of the first half in Brazil’s 2-1 victory over Japan in the round of 32 on June 30. After the match, he was taken for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. The results confirmed that the 27-year-old midfielder sustained a grade-two left hamstring muscle tear.
With this type of injury, the expected recovery time is around one month, which means Paqueta has virtually no chance of featuring in the remaining matches of the World Cup. According to Globo, the Brazilian coaching staff does not have high expectations that Paqueta can return even if the national team reaches the final. However, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has not yet announced the exclusion of the Flamengo player from the squad list.
In the event that Brazil features in the championship match on July 19 at the MetLife Stadium, Paqueta could still be registered on the substitute bench if his recovery progresses positively. Nevertheless, the possibility of him taking the pitch in the previous knockout rounds has been virtually ruled out.
According to Paqueta’s wishes, he will continue to stay at the Brazil national team headquarters in the US instead of returning to Flamengo. The entire treatment process will be directly managed by the CBF medical team with an intensive rehabilitation program aimed at shortening his time out of action.
Because the deadline to change the World Cup squad list had ended before Brazil’s opening match, the “Selecao” is not permitted to call up a replacement. That means the Brazil coach will have to continue the campaign with a depleted squad, in the context that Paqueta was a starter in all of the team’s first 4 matches at the tournament.
