Ronald Araujo is no longer the only Barcelona player struggling with injury at the start of World Cup 2026 as Raphinha’s name has now been added to the list after the Brazilian was forced off with an injury during the first half of his nation’s second group stage match against Haiti in Philadelphia.
Raphinha started for Carlo Ancelotti’s side and missed a few good chances early on, but he was noticeably absent from the celebrations of Brazil’s second goal scored by Matheus Cunha and was substituted
by Rayan shortly after. The Barça man was visibly upset while being looked at by the doctors, and had a chat with Vini Jr. before leaving the pitch that seemed to worry his teammate.
There was no immediate visible indication of Raphinha’s injury, but exclusive footage captured by Brazilian TV and initial reports from the Brazilian reporters at the stadium indicate that he may have suffered a right hamstring injury, the same injury he picked up while in international duty last March that sidelined him for a month and a half and caused him to miss both legs of Barça’s Champions League quarter-final tie with Atlético Madrid.
We won’t know the extent of Raphinha’s injury until further tests are done over the weekend, but his reaction after a possible relapse of the same problem he had just three months ago could mean very bad news for his hopes of playing a part in the rest of the World Cup.
Here’s hoping for good news.
