2026 World Cup: Brazil vs. Morocco, probable lineups

Among the matches on the first day of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, the clash between Brazil and Morocco is certainly one of the most intriguing. Currently ranked sixth and seventh in the FIFA rankings, Carlo Ancelotti’s Seleção and the Atlas Lions led by Belgian Mohamed Ouahbi will kick off Group C (which also includes Scotland and Haiti) at midnight Italian time between Saturday and Sunday, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, the home of New York’s two NFL franchises, the Giants and the Jets, among others.

Brazil is the only national team to have participated in every World Cup, winning the tournament five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002). In recent years, however, there have been few notable results, and since the infamous “Mineirazo” of 2014 (a 1-7 loss in the semifinals against Germany), the Seleção seems to have lost the luster of its glory days, with the exception of its victory in the 2019 Copa América. In the last five editions, they have been eliminated in the quarterfinals four times, including in 2022 at the hands of Croatia on penalties.

Morocco, on the other hand, is making its seventh appearance, its third in a row. The North African nation’s national team achieved an incredible fourth-place finish as an underdog at Qatar 2022 and is seeking definitive recognition in this year’s edition. Brahim Diaz and his teammates, incidentally, are fresh off being awarded the Africa Cup of Nations title following a highly contested on-field loss to Senegal and a controversial appeal upheld by CAF: their goal is to prove they remain at the very highest level in the World Cup as well.

Probable lineups

BRAZIL (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Alex Sandro; Casemiro, Guimarães; Raphinha, Paquetá, Vinicius Jr; Cunha. Coach: Ancelotti.

MOROCCO (4-2-3-1): Bono; Hakimi, Diop, Riad; Mazraoui; Bouaddi, El Aynaoui; Díaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss; Saibari. Coach: Ouahbi.