The group stage of the 2024 Copa America has concluded, and the knockout phase matchups are set. Brazil finished second in Group D with 5 points, setting up a quarter-final clash against Group C winners Uruguay. However, Brazil will be without their star player, Neymar.
Brazil faces a tough challenge in the quarter-finals against one of the tournament favorites. Besides Neymar’s absence, Brazil’s top scorer in the tournament, Vinicius Junior, will also miss the match due to a one-game suspension after accumulating two yellow cards.
Dorival Junior will have to prepare a team without his top players for the match against Uruguay, but the truth is that many eyebrows were raised when the final list was announced and Neymar was not part of it.
Neymar out of the quarter-final match against Uruguay
Neymar is sidelined for the quarter-final match against Uruguay due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus injury in his left leg. This type of injury requires about nine months of recovery, ruling him out of the entire Copa America 2024.
Neymar Jr. of Brazil reacts after being injured during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier match between Uruguay and Brazil. Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images
The injury occurred in October 2023 during a World Cup 2026 Qualifier match against Uruguay, which Brazil lost 2-0. Neymar, who made his debut with the Brazilian national team in 2010, has since scored 79 goals and provided 59 assists in 128 appearances, making him Brazil’s all-time leading scorer.
