PHILADELPHIA — Before a capacity crowd of 68,324, Brazil took a step toward steadying itself with a 3-0 win over Haiti in the 2026 World Cup group stage. Yet the result left Carlo Ancelotti with as many concerns as comforts as he tries to meet the towering expectations attached to leading the Selecao. Matheus Cunha’s two-goal performance offered a clear bright spot, but that optimism was tempered by an injury to Raphinha, turning what began as a confident Brazil outing into a more uneasy finale. The defeat also made Haiti the first team ruled out of knockout-stage contention after its earlier loss to Scotland.
Ancelotti confirmed that Raphinha suffered a hamstring injury and said the forward will be evaluated on Sunday. After the match, Vinicius Junior said he felt for his teammate, who had battled through fitness problems to reach the tournament following a difficult season with Barcelona. Vinicius added that he hopes the issue is not serious and that Raphinha can remain involved for Brazil, a team that clearly needs him to maintain its attacking balance.
Haiti’s supporters opened the night celebrating defensive clearances as if their team were executing a Jose Mourinho masterclass, but that kind of resistance was always going to be difficult to sustain against Brazil’s attacking quality. Cunha’s first-half double quickly justified Ancelotti’s lineup adjustments, with the Manchester United forward replacing Igor Thiago and Danilo coming in for Roger Ibanez.
Cunha needed 23 minutes to finally unlock Haiti’s back line, and once Brazil found that first goal, the match began to tilt heavily in the Selecao’s favor. They attacked in waves and appeared to be cruising, but the lopsided scoreline may have masked issues that could become far more costly once the tournament reaches the knockout rounds.
The biggest worry arrived in the 40th minute, when Raphinha exited with a non-contact injury and was replaced by Rayan. It had not been a standout display from the Barcelona winger — he had a goal disallowed for offside and did not officially create a chance — but Brazil’s most convincing attacking setup currently appears to feature Raphinha, Vinicius Junior and Matheus Cunha. Removing one piece of that trio placed a heavier burden on the others, and that imbalance became increasingly visible after halftime.
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As Brazil stopped adding goals, the energy from their supporters faded as well. Vini Jr. began forcing the issue, chances went begging, and the finely tuned structure Ancelotti is trying to build started to unravel. The crowd roared when Endrick finished a chance, only for the celebration to be halted by the offside flag. In many ways, it summed up Brazil’s afternoon: the right idea, the wrong outcome.
Vini Jr., one of the squad’s key voices, recognized the missed opportunities, but continued belief in Ancelotti’s tactical plan could help Brazil sharpen its edge as the tournament continues. After consecutive matches with multiple goals, there are signs that the attack may be moving closer to clicking.
“Depending on the game and very much on the opponent, today I played in a different position, where the coach asked me to play inside between the two center backs,” Vini Jr. said. “The truth is that I don’t play there very often, but whenever the coach asks me to, and says that I have to play there, I score goals, so I have to listen to him a lot more often. Surely, when I get to the locker room, he’ll say that he understands football very well.”
It’s clear that this is a flawed squad as they play with 25 men while hoping that Neymar can play a part in this tournament, but even with those flaws, chances went begging for Brazil that a cohesive unit would’ve taken care of. Now, on four points, Brazil are almost assured a place in the knockouts of the tournament, but unless they can iron out these issues, it will be a swift end to the World Cup once they get there.
Neymar could be returning soon as Ancelotti shed light on his status in his post-match press conference. With winning the group on the line, Brazil will need all the help they can get, and there’s a chance that Neymar could provide a lift as one creative player could now be missing out.
“Neymar will be training tomorrow individually, and then on Monday he will be training with the rest of the team. He will be available for the match against Scotland,” Ancelotti said.
There will be one more chance for tweaks in the final match of the group stage, as Brazil will face Scotland on June 24 with a chance to win the group.
