Barcelona winger Raphinha got a call-up from the Brazilian national team on Tuesday to replace injured Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior as Brazil launch their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, officials said on Tuesday.
Vinicius, who limped off early in Madrid's 1-0 La Liga win against Celta Vigo on Friday, will reportedly be out for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury, taking him out of Brazil's qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru on September 8 and 12, respectively.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said coach Fernando Diniz had tapped Raphinha to replace the injured 23-year-old star.
Raphinha, 26, previously played for the "Selecao" at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the five-time champions were eliminated by Croatia in the quarter-finals.
