Barcelona star admits he’s not fully fit going into 2026 World Cup | OneFootball

Later this week, the 2026 World Cup will get underway, and a number of Barcelona players will be involved in North America. One of those is Raphinha, who will be a talisman for Brazil in their bid to win a sixth world title.

However, Raphinha’s preparation for the World Cup has not been ideal. His 2025-26 season was regularly interrupted by injuries, and as it turns out, he is still recovering from the latest of those. He’s only featured four times since returning – twice for Barcelona (vs Real Madrid and Real Betis) and twice for Brazil – including against Egypt over the weekend, a match in which he registered an assist.

Speaking after that match, Raphinha admitted to the media (via Sport) that he is still not feeling at 100% when it comes to his fitness, but he is determined to give everything for Brazil this summer.

“I’m still looking for my 100% physique. I have tried to prepare as best as possible so that I can always arrive at the Seleção and give my best, both physically and tactically. I had an injury that left me out for a month and a bit, without going to the field, without training, without playing. But I have always tried to give my best in the treatments, at my club, to be able to reach 100% with Brazil.”

Barcelona will be keeping an eye on Raphinha’s fitness

Image via Eric Alonso/Getty Images

Raphinha’s regular injury issues during the 2025-26 season would have been a big concern for Barcelona, and it may be one of the reasons why they decided to spend big on Anthony Gordon to act as his understudy. Naturally, they will be keeping an keen eye on how he is during the World Cup, as the last thing they need is for another issue to keep him out of the start of the 2026-27 campaign, and the same goes for Lamine Yamal.