The Real Madrid defender faces a race against time after a scar from his previous muscle tear has reportedly reopened, raising the alarming possibility of surgery just seven weeks before Brazil’s opener against Morocco.
Éder Militão’s World Cup dream is in serious jeopardy. The 27-year-old Real Madrid centre-back has suffered a relapse of his biceps femoris injury — and according to reports from @miguelitocope, the scar from his previous muscle tear has reopened, putting surgery firmly on the table. If the worst is confirmed, Militão would almost certainly be ruled out of Brazil’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign entirely.
Real Madrid’s official medical bulletin, issued on April 23, confirmed that Militão sustained a muscle injury to the biceps femoris of his left leg, with the club stating only that his progress “will be monitored.” However, the severity of the relapse — and the alarming detail about the scar tissue breaking down — paints a far grimmer picture than the initial statement suggested.
“He has suffered a relapse of his biceps femoris injury. The scar has reopened, so he will possibly have to undergo surgery.”
— @miguelitocope, Cope Radio (April 25, 2026)
The timing could hardly be worse. Brazil — ranked sixth in the world and placed in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland — open their World Cup campaign on June 13 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Before then, Dorival Júnior’s side are scheduled to play friendlies against Panama on May 31 and Egypt on June 7. With roughly seven weeks until kick-off, even a conservative recovery from a straightforward muscle tear would be a tight turnaround; surgery would almost certainly end Militão’s tournament before it begins.
This is the latest blow in a devastating run of injuries for the Brazilian international. In August 2023, he ruptured his left ACL, missing nearly seven months. Last season, he suffered the same fate on his right knee — tearing the ACL and damaging the meniscus in a setback that kept him sidelined for eight months. He had only just returned to something resembling consistent fitness before December 2025, when he ruptured the biceps femoris tendon in a 2–0 LaLiga defeat to Celta Vigo — an injury that left him on crutches and casting doubt over his World Cup participation for the first time.