Rodrygo will travel to the United States this week not as a player but as a spectator, the Real Madrid forward confirming that the knee injury he sustained in March has ruled him out of Brazil’s World Cup squad. The 25-year-old, who featured in every qualifying match and the Copa América, watched Carlo Ancelotti’s final 26 named without him — the first major tournament he has missed since breaking into the senior side in 2022.
The Osasco-born forward will continue his daily rehabilitation programme while attending Seleção fixtures in person, a compromise that allows him to remain close to the squad without participating in it. For a player who scored seven goals in qualifying and started Brazil’s opening Copa América group game last summer, the demotion from protagonist to supporter carries a particular sting.
The injury that ended a four-year wait
The medial collateral ligament damage Rodrygo suffered in training with Real Madrid on 14 March required surgical intervention and a recovery timeline that stretched beyond Ancelotti’s final selection deadline. Madrid’s medical staff initially projected a 10-to-12 week return, but a setback during the second phase of rehabilitation pushed the forward’s availability into late July at the earliest — three weeks after the World Cup final on 19 July.
Ancelotti, who managed Rodrygo at the Santiago Bernabéu before taking the Brazil job in May 2024, was understood to have held the No 11 shirt open until the final medical bulletin on 2 June. The Italian’s reluctance to close the door reflected both personal loyalty and tactical preference: Rodrygo’s versatility across the front three offered Brazil a left-sided option that Vinícius Júnior’s compatriots have struggled to replicate.
“Watching the squad presentation knowing I wasn’t in it was tough,” Rodrygo said. “But I have high hopes with Carlo Ancelotti in charge.” The words were measured, but the absence is consequential. Rodrygo has not missed a competitive Brazil window since his debut against South Korea in June 2022, a run of 31 consecutive call-ups broken only by the surgeon’s scalpel.
A wound still open from Doha
The Croatia quarter-final on 9 December 2022 has shadowed Rodrygo’s international career for three and a half years. Dominik Livakovic saved his spot-kick in the shootout at Education City Stadium, and Marquinhos struck the post moments later as Brazil exited a World Cup they had entered as joint-favourites. Rodrygo, then 21, walked off the pitch in tears.
“Ever since our last World Cup game in 2022, returning to the tournament wearing the national team jersey has been a desire that has dominated my thoughts on many nights,” he said. The 2026 edition, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, was meant to be the redemption arc. Instead, Rodrygo will arrive on a commercial flight, sit in the stands at MetLife Stadium or SoFi Stadium, and watch Vinícius, Raphinha and Endrick attempt to deliver Brazil’s first World Cup since 2002.
The historical context compounds the personal disappointment. Brazil’s 24-year wait for a sixth star is the longest barren run in their World Cup history, exceeding the 24-year gap between 1970 and 1994. A generation of Brazilian forwards — Ronaldinho, Kaká, Neymar — has come and gone without lifting the trophy. Rodrygo, alongside Vinícius, was meant to be the next answer to that question.
What comes next
The forward’s club future remains unresolved. Rodrygo started just 19 La Liga matches in 2025-26 as Kylian Mbappé’s arrival pushed him toward the right flank or the bench, and reports from Madrid suggest both Manchester City and Arsenal have made exploratory contacts with his representatives. A summer move had been mooted as contingent on a strong World Cup; that calculus has now changed.
Ancelotti’s Brazil open their tournament against Morocco in Mexico City on 17 June before facing Switzerland and Cameroon in Group F. Rodrygo is expected to attend at least the group stage, with the federation considering a formal ambassador role to keep him visible during broadcast coverage. Whether he returns in time for any potential knockout fixture — Brazil would need to reach the semi-finals on 9 July for that timeline to become plausible — depends entirely on the next four weeks of rehabilitation.
For now, the boy from Osasco will watch from behind the glass. The player will keep counting the days.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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