BrazilvsMorocco

Result

Vinícius Júnior curled in a 32nd-minute equalizer, set up by Bruno Guimarães, to rescue a 1-1 draw for Brazil after Ismael Saibari had given Morocco a deserved 21st-minute lead at MetLife Stadium. Morocco matched the five-time champions for long spells, out-attempting them 14-12 and carving the better openings, before Alisson's late double save on Neil El Aynaoui preserved the point. The opening-night draw leaves all four Group C teams within a win of one another after matchday one.

Brazil 3-4-34-2-3-1 Morocco

Brazil

Morocco

Vinícius Júnior32'

Saibari21'

51%Possession49%

12Shots14

5On target4

2Saves4

6Corners0

457Passes completed424

87%Pass accuracy86%

23Tackles26

22Touches in box13

Substitutions

Fabinhofor Casemiro

Salah-Eddinefor Mazraoui

Danilo Santosfor Guimarães

Talbifor Brahim Díaz

Cunhafor Paquetá

El Mourabetfor Ounahi

Danilofor Ibañez

Rahimifor Saibari

Luiz Henriquefor Igor Thiago

Amaimounifor El Khannouss

At this Stage

The billing said Brazil; the table, one round in, says Scotland. The Scots' 1-0 over Haiti makes them Group C's only winners and its early leaders on three points, while Brazil and Morocco — who spent opening night at MetLife Stadium confirming each other's credentials — share a point apiece, identical in every column. Haiti prop up the group as the round's only losers. There's no alarm for Brazil in drawing with the 2022 semi-finalists, who out-attempted them and left encouraged — but Carlo Ancelotti was hired to end a title drought, not to extend suspense. The honest read after one matchday: all four teams sit within a win of one another, which is exactly the group everyone expected — just not in this order.

Group C

Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
Scotland	1	1	0	0	+1	3
Brazil	1	0	1	0	+0	1
Morocco	1	0	1	0	+0	1
Haiti	1	0	0	1	-1	0

Top two (above the accent line) advance to the round of 32; the third-placed team is in the race for one of the eight best-third spots.

What we know now

What I said beforehand

The preview, frozen at kickoff. Clearly dated, never rewritten — that's the deal that makes the predictions worth anything.

Brazil by a goal, in a game with more in it than the favorite's badge suggests. Morocco's 2022 semifinal back line is largely still here and still hard to break, and on the counter — Hakimi flying, Brahim Díaz between the lines — they can hurt anyone. But Brazil hold the night's defining weapon in Vinícius Júnior running at the space Hakimi vacates, and even without Neymar the attack has more answers than Morocco's reshuffled defense, minus Aguerd, has questions. Brazil 2–1, and nervier than the neutrals expect.

Both cases written 2026-06-12, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 24% belongs to the draw.