Neymar, 34, had only recently returned to the national team setup after a long spell out following a serious ACL injury suffered in a friendly against Uruguay in October 2023.
His inclusion in the World Cup squad was seen as a major boost for Brazil, despite concerns over his fitness.
However, those concerns have now been realised. Neymar picked up a calf injury just weeks before the tournament, which has disrupted his preparations and delayed his return to full training.
Speaking ahead of Brazil's opening Group C fixture, Ancelotti was clear about the situation but remained hopeful over the player's recovery.
"He is working hard to be fit again as quickly as possible. We hope he can return to full training next week," Ancelotti said.
Brazil face a challenging start to their World Cup campaign against Morocco, a fixture widely expected to be their toughest in the group stage. They will also meet Haiti and Scotland in Group C as they aim to progress to the knockout rounds.
FIFA have defended the official attendance figure from the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A clash between South Korea and Czech Republic after visible empty seats inside the stadium sparked questions over crowd numbers.
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has publicly backed Bafana Bafana midfielder Sphephelo Sithole after the midfielder endured a difficult outing in South Africa's opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Mexico.
Ryan Christie has signed a new three-year contract extension with AFC Bournemouth, keeping him at the club until 2029 after an impressive season that ended with UEFA Europa League qualification.
Jarell Quansah has attributed his place in England's 26-man World Cup squad to the difficult decision to part ways with Liverpool to join Bayer 04 Leverkusen last year.
