3 min readJun 20, 2026 08:22 PM IST
First published on: Jun 20, 2026 at 08:22 PM IST
On an otherwise flawless day, Brazil were left fretting over the fitness of Raphinha during their 3-0 triumph over Haiti. The five-time champions secured their maiden win of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Philadelphia on Friday, courtesy of a brace from Matheus Cunha and a precise Vinicius Junior strike. Unlike the 1-1 draw against Morocco, few questions will be raised over Brazil’s performance against Haiti. However, the team is eager to find answers on the extent of Raphina’s injury.
The winger was forced off moments after Vinicius doubled Brazil’s lead, having suffered a non-contact injury during the move that culminated in the goal. It appeared that the Barcelona attacker had injured his right hamstring while trying to accelerate. He was substituted by the 19-year-old Rayan, who became the sixth-youngest Brazilian to feature in a men’s World Cup. Raphinha, meanwhile, will undergo an MRI at Brazil’s camp in New Jersey on Saturday.
He did not require any support to walk through the mixed zone after the match, but Carlo Ancelotti will be concerned about the recurrence of the injury. Notably, the same problem had ruled him out of Brazil’s friendly against France in May, while it also led to Raphinha missing 12 La Liga matches, across three separate spells, for Barcelona in the 2025-26 season.
The Brazilian Football Confederation’s (CBF) official statement read: “Forward Raphinha felt pain in his right hamstring during the first half of the match against Haiti. The player has begun treatment and will be re-evaluated. We will let you know when we have more information.”
National team coordinator Rodrigo Caetano is hopeful the injury is not serious. “When a player is substituted due to a possible injury, it obviously makes us a little anxious and worried until he has the examination. We all hope it’s nothing serious. That it’s something simple, and that he can be with us as soon as possible. Raphinha has exceptional athletic ability. And tomorrow, God willing, when we see the results of the exams, we can not only calm ourselves down, but also calm all Brazilian fans,” he was quoted as saying by O Globo.
Lucas Paqueta, who had an impressive show at the Lincoln Fairfield Stadium, acknowledged concern among the team. “We were all worried, of course, he’s going to feel it more. We hope it’s nothing serious, the least bad thing, we still need to wait for the tests. We all support him a lot. We hope it’s just a scare,” he said.
Raphinha joins Neymar in Brazil’s treatment room, although Ancelotti sounded confident about the latter’s availability for their last Group C game against Scotland. Right-back Wesley has already been ruled out of the competition with an injury, and was replaced with Atalanta’s Ederson Santos.
Should Raphinha also be sidelined for the remainder of the World Cup, Brazil would not be entitled to name a replacement, as the squad amendment window closed 24 hours before their opening match. In that scenario, Ancelotti would have just 24 players at his disposal as Brazil continue their pursuit of Mission Hexa.
Raphinha forced off moments after Vinicius doubled Brazil's lead, having suffered a non-contact injury during the move that culminated in the goal. (AP) 
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