Raphinha's Recovery Progress as Brazil Faces World Cup Decision

Brazil’s training base in New Jersey finally saw a familiar figure back on the grass this week. Raphinha, boots on, ball at his feet, cutting across the pitch in his first on-field session since a right thigh injury halted his World Cup before it had really begun.

It was only an individual workout, carefully controlled and closely watched, but it marked a significant step. For a player who feared his tournament might be finished in Philadelphia, it felt like a small victory.

While the rest of the squad enjoyed a scheduled break until Wednesday afternoon, the Barcelona winger stayed behind, grinding through an intensive rehabilitation program with the Selecao medical staff. At 29, and with a worrying history of similar problems this season, he knows every sprint and every touch now matters.

The caution is deliberate. Brazil’s staff have the images they wanted – Raphinha back on the pitch, moving freely – but they also have a fresh reminder of the risks. Lucas Paqueta has joined the treatment room with a thigh issue of his own, picked up against Japan, and that has sharpened the internal debate: push a star back early, or trust the depth of a squad built for a long run?

Inside the camp, the message is clear: patience. The coaching and medical teams are aligned on one principle – no shortcuts. Not this time.

ESPN reports that, despite the encouraging signs, Raphinha remains a doubt for the round-of-16 tie against Norway. The medical department are tracking his numbers every day, feeding the data into a decision that will ultimately rest with Carlo Ancelotti. The Brazil coach is expected to wait as long as possible before deciding whether to name the former Leeds United winger in his matchday squad or hold him back for a potential quarter-final, should Brazil get there.

The backdrop to that decision is brutal. This is the fifth time in the 2025-26 season that Raphinha has suffered an issue in the same area. Barcelona have already been forced to cope without him on multiple occasions because of muscular strains and knocks. Brazil, too. Each comeback has carried a hint of jeopardy; each setback has deepened the concern.

The latest blow came in the 3-0 win over Haiti in Philadelphia. Midway through the first half, Raphinha pulled up, his expression telling its own story before he even reached the touchline. As he walked off, visibly distraught, the fear was immediate: World Cup over.

The scans brought relief. A strain, not a tear. Painful, serious, but not definitive. The door stayed open, just, for a return in the knockout stages – if his body tolerated the gradual increase in workload laid out for this week.

So far, so good. But no one inside the camp is confusing progress with certainty.

Brazil, crucially, do not feel cornered. There is a strong belief, again reported by ESPN, that the squad has enough quality to deal with Norway without gambling on a half-fit Raphinha. In his absence, young Rayan has seized his chance in the starting XI, offering a different profile on the flank under Ancelotti’s structure – more direct in some moments, less experienced in others, but undeniably lively.

That gives Brazil something priceless at this stage of a tournament: options. They can afford to think long term.

The priority is simple and ruthless. They want Raphinha at 100 per cent for the sharp end of the World Cup, not limping through the last 16 and paying for it with a long spell out. The temptation to rush him back will grow as Norway looms and the stakes rise, but the calculation is already on the table.

One more game without him now, to have him fully armed for the ones that really define a World Cup run – is that a risk, or just good sense?