Brazil’s World Cup Preparations Rocked After Star Player Suffers Brutal Injury

The Seleção face France and Croatia during the March international window.

Carlo Ancelotti will be without one of his most important players in March. | Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimarães is in for a lengthy layoff after suffering a hamstring injury in Newcastle United’s 2–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Alarms bells sounded when the 28-year-old limped off the pitch in the closing stages on Tuesday evening, and Newcastle manager Eddie Howe was visibly worried in his postgame press conference when discussing the issue. After undergoing further tests, it seems the English boss was right to be concerned.

The Athletic report Guimarães is expected to miss up to 10 weeks due to the injury, a massive blow for the Magpies. Howe’s men have failed to win their previous 10 Premier League matches in which the Brazil international did not feature, a damning record for a team with just two wins in their last six league games.

Guimarães’s retreat to the sidelines also has costly consequences for the Seleção’s 2026 World Cup preparations.

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Key Absences Can Hinder Brazil’s Road to the World Cup

Bruno Guimarães could be out for nearly two months. | Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/Getty Images

In just over a month, Brazil will return to action for the first time since the calendar flipped to 2026, with their sights set on this summer’s World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti’s men have important clashes with France and Croatia coming in March.

Although the games are just international friendlies on paper, they mean a lot more with the biggest tournament in the sport on the horizon. The Seleção will get to see how they stack up against the last two World Cup runners-up.

Ancelotti, though, will be unable to see what his true XI will look like for those matches in the aftermath of Guimarães’s injury. The manager will also likely be without the injured Éder Militão, another expected starter at this summer’s World Cup.

Brazil’s opening game of the tournament comes against a mighty Morocco side, a challenge the team needs to be well prepared for if it wants to collect three points against the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations runners-up. Yet they now run the risk of lacking cohesion and chemistry come June after not having their best midfielder available for their World Cup tune-ups.

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Potential Replacements for Guimarães at Brazil

Andrey Santos could get the opportunity he’s been waiting for with Brazil. | Ivan Romano/Getty Images

Without Guimarães in March, Ancelotti will need to test out some alternatives to the Newcastle man. Manchester United midfielder Casemiro is expected to start in the midfield after successfully winning his place back in Brazil’s XI, but he will need a new partner in March.

If recent history is any indication, Gerson and Lucas Paquetá lead the race to take Guimarães’s place alongside Casemiro. The former became somewhat of a mainstay throughout the team’s early CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifiers, putting in solid—yet rather unremarkable—performances. Paquetá has much more experience for the national team, but he has fallen down the pecking order ever since Ancelotti took charge.

Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos is also an option even though he only has four international caps to his name. The 21-year-old is slowly finding his form with the Blues and could provide a splash of energy and intelligence to Brazil’s midfield. His ability to carry the ball forward, tidy passing and defensive edge could be the short-term solution to Brazil’s midfield woes.

Only time will tell whether Ancelotti opts to go with experience over raw talent, but the former Real Madrid boss has consistently put his faith in young stars since he took over the Seleção, paving the way for Santos to potentially impress the legendary manager.

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