New York [US], June 13 (ANI): The FIFA World Cup continues on Saturday, with Brazil launching their campaign as four more group-stage matches take place across North America.
The headline fixture sees Brazil face Morocco, while Qatar take on Switzerland, Haiti meet Scotland, and Australia play Turkiye as more teams begin their tournament journeys.
Brazil and Morocco have met only once before at a World Cup, with the five-time champions claiming victory in their 1998 group-stage encounter. Morocco, however, gained a measure of revenge with a 2-1 friendly win in 2023.
Brazil have traditionally thrived against African opposition at the World Cup, winning seven of their eight matches. Their only defeat came against Cameroon in 2022.
The South American giants are chasing a sixth World Cup title and their first since 2002. Since then, Brazil have often fallen at the quarterfinal stage, with their run to the semifinals on home soil in 2014 standing as the lone exception.
The upcoming fixture is also the only group-stage match featuring two teams currently ranked inside the top 10 of the FIFA World Rankings, with Brazil placed sixth and Morocco eighth.
Ahead of the fixture, Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi, when asked if his side would approach the game as underdogs, Hakimi dismissed the notion, even though the Atlas Lions’ meagre five World Cup victories pale in comparison to Brazil’s five world titles.
“In a match like this, in a tournament like the World Cup, there are no favourites. It’s 50-50. It’ll come down to the smallest of details, which team are more clinical. We hope it will be us."
Morocco has never won their opening match at the FIFA World Cup, nor faced South American opposition in those games. The last time they met a side from that continent at the global showpiece was in 1998, against none other than Brazil. The reigning champions, led by the formidable trio of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Bebeto, dashed Morocco’s hopes and secured a comfortable 3-0 win in Nantes.
“The mood is good, and we’re very confident. We believe in the players, in the work we’ve done, and in the principles we’ve sought to instil in them. The matches will show us where we stand," said Morocco’s coach, Mohamed Ouahbi.
Brazil’s forward Vinicius Junior praised Morocco’s progress, describing them as a well-organised team capable of challenging any opponent and highlighting their development as part of football’s overall evolution.
“There is no doubt that Morocco has improved a lot. They’re very well organised and capable of competing with anyone. The game has evolved, and Morocco is part of that," Junior said.
Meanwhile, Brazil star Neymar will miss the national team’s opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 against Morocco, Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed on Saturday.
Speaking about the forward’s fitness, Ancelotti said, as quoted by FotMob, “He’s working hard to get fit as quickly as possible. We hope he can return to full training next week."
Neymar was a doubt for their opener after suffering a calf injury in the lead-up to the tournament, and has now been ruled out for the match.
Brazil will next take on Haiti on June 19 before concluding their group-stage campaign against Scotland on June 24, with Ancelotti expressing confidence that Neymar could be available for both fixtures.
Ancelotti believes his side has the quality, experience and confidence to compete with any team at the World Cup.
He feels Brazil are well-prepared and optimistic about their chances, while stressing that there is no clear favourite and several nations are capable of going all the way.
“This is a team which can compete with anyone," Ancelotti added.
“We can face up to any team. We have technical quality and experience, and we are absolutely confident we can face up to any team. We have a good feeling about this World Cup. We’re ready and prepared. At this point, there is no clear favourite for the World Cup. Several teams will have the opportunity to compete all the way to the end," the Brazil head coach concluded. (ANI)
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