Raphinha's Recovery as Brazil Weighs World Cup Gamble

Brazil’s training base in New Jersey finally saw a familiar figure back on the grass on Tuesday. Raphinha, boots laced and ball at his feet, cut a determined figure as he went through his first on‑pitch individual session since suffering a right thigh injury in the group stage.

For the Selecao, it was a welcome sight at the sharp end of a World Cup campaign.

While the rest of the squad enjoyed a scheduled break until Wednesday afternoon, the Barcelona winger stayed behind, working through an intensive, tailored program with the medical staff. At 29, and with a worrying history of muscle problems this season, he knows every sprint and touch now has to count.

The effort is not in question. The timing is.

Inside the Brazil camp, there is clear caution. Lucas Paqueta is already in the treatment room with his own thigh issue picked up against Japan, and no one wants to see another key piece rushed back only to break down again. Raphinha’s latest problem is his fifth in the same area during the 2025-26 season, a run of setbacks that has disrupted his rhythm for both Barcelona and the national team.

The injury struck in the first half of Brazil’s 3-0 win over Haiti in Philadelphia. His reaction told its own story. Head down, visibly shaken as he left the pitch, he looked like a player fearing that his World Cup might have ended before it had truly begun.

The scans brought a measure of relief. A muscle strain, not a full tear. The door stayed open, if only just.

Since then, the routine has been relentless: treatment, gym work, controlled running, then the progression to ball work that finally arrived on Tuesday. ESPN reports that his recovery is tracking well, but also that he remains a doubt for the round-of-16 clash with Norway. The medical team are poring over his data every day, and Carlo Ancelotti is expected to delay any decision on his inclusion until the last possible moment.

This is where the balance gets delicate. The temptation to bring back a player of Raphinha’s quality is obvious. The risk is equally clear.

Brazil, though, believe they have the depth to resist that temptation. Inside the camp, there is a strong sense that they can handle Norway without forcing the issue with their star winger. In his absence, young Rayan has seized his chance in the starting XI, bringing a different profile on the flank and slotting into Ancelotti’s tactical plan with impressive maturity.

That emergence buys Brazil something priceless at a tournament: time. Time to let Raphinha push his body without crossing the line. Time to aim not just at the next match, but at the matches that really define a campaign.

If Brazil get past Norway, the quarter-finals loom. That is the stage the staff are quietly targeting for Raphinha to be at or near full capacity, rather than gambling on a half-fit return now that could cost them far more later.

For the player, the equation is brutal. Every World Cup feels like a once‑in‑a‑lifetime shot. Every sprint in training carries a question: risk it now, or trust that there will be another game to influence?

Brazil’s answer, for the moment, is clear. They want Raphinha back not just on the pitch, but at 100 per cent – when the tournament reaches the point where one moment from a winger can redraw the entire bracket.