Brazilian forward Neymar has been ruled out of the 2024 Copa América in the United States due to a severe knee injury sustained in October, according to Brazilian team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar. 

The 31-year-old Al Hilal star suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee during Brazil’s World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay on October 17, leading to surgery two weeks later.

The Copa América is scheduled to take place from June 20 to July 14, but Neymar’s recovery timeline rules him out of the tournament. 

Lasmar emphasized the importance of following a cautious approach in Neymar’s rehabilitation, with the expectation that the player will be ready to return at the beginning of the 2024 European season in August.

Lasmar explained, “Talking about a return before nine months is premature; this is a global concept for knee ligament surgery recovery. It is very important to respect the biological time, the time the body takes to reconstruct that ligament. If we follow those steps and after a long recovery, the expectation is that he can perform again at a high level.”

Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals in 129 appearances, faces an extended period on the sidelines. Brazil has been drawn into Group D for the Copa América, alongside Colombia, Paraguay, and the winner of a playoff between Costa Rica and Honduras.

In a pre-tournament friendly, Brazil is set to face Mexico on June 8. 

The Copa América will be hosted by the U.S. for the second time, with six Concacaf teams joining the 10 from South America. 

Neymar, who joined Al Hilal in August from Paris Saint-Germain, made only five appearances for the Saudi Pro League club before his injury, scoring one goal.