Brazil considers Raphinha for bench in World Cup round‑of‑16 vs Norway

Brazilian forward Raphinha suffered a hamstring injury in the group‑stage win over Haiti and missed the subsequent matches against Scotland and Japan. Coach Carlo Ancelotti said the Barcelona winger is “making great progress” but is still not at 100 %. He confirmed that Raphinha could be included among the substitutes for the round‑of‑16 match against Norway at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and might play a few minutes if needed. Ancelotti added, “He is a very important player for our team… he could be on the bench and play a few minutes.” Brazil also entered the Norway tie without midfielder Lucas Paquetá, who is sidelined with a hamstring strain, prompting the coach to discuss alternatives such as Danilo, Gabriel Martinelli, Matheus Cunha and Ederson. Raphinha returned to training on 3 July, taking part in warm‑up drills and displaying good humor, while commentators suggested that preserving him for later knockout rounds might be prudent. The team will also need to address Norway’s attack led by Erling Haaland.