Sports · World Cup 2026 · Group C
Brazilvs
Morocco
Saturday, June 13, 2026 · 6:00 p.m. ET · New York/New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium), East Rutherford, NJ
Watch: FS1 · Telemundo
My pick: Brazil win · locked 2026-06-11 21:01 UTCPrediction
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.
The case for Brazil
55.5% to winAncelotti inherits the deepest attacking roster in the tournament and a mandate to make it cohere. Vinícius Júnior against the space behind Hakimi is a matchup Brazil will hunt all night; Raphinha drifts inside, Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães give the front four a platform, and MetLife's wide-open pitch suits runners. Morocco are organized, but Brazil have more ways to score, and an opener against the favorite is exactly the game this group expects them to win.
The case for Morocco
20.5% to winMorocco's 2022 run was not luck — it was a back line that refused to break and a transition game that punished giants, and most of that group is still here. Hakimi is the best right-back in the world on his day, Ounahi and Bouaddi screen the middle, and Brahim Díaz gives them a line-breaker. If Brazil's defense is as openable as it has looked, Morocco have the counter to win this, not just survive it. Beating Brazil on night one would announce them all over again.
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.
Brazil 4-2-3-14-2-3-1 MoroccoThe briefing
Storylines
- Brazil open under Carlo Ancelotti — their first foreign manager in over sixty years, hired to end a world-title drought that reaches back to 2002.
- Morocco are no soft draw: the 2022 semifinalists knocked out Portugal and Spain on that run and arrive believing they can go deep again.
- The matchup that decides it is Vinícius Júnior against the space behind Achraf Hakimi — Morocco's right-back bombs forward, and the gap he leaves is exactly what Vinícius is built to attack.
- Injuries reshape both XIs: Neymar is a game-time call with a calf, so Igor Thiago leads Brazil's line, while Morocco are without their best centre-back, Nayef Aguerd (pubalgia).
The coaches
Carlo Ancelotti Brazil
Brazil's first foreign coach in over six decades, hired in 2025 to end the title drought; controlled possession with Vinícius and Raphinha given license to attack.
Walid Regragui Morocco
The architect of Morocco's 2022 semifinal run is still in charge; a compact block built to spring Hakimi and a fluid front line into transition.
Availability
| Neymar | Game-time doubt — a calf complaint leaves him a late call; Igor Thiago is projected to start up front in his place | RotoWire matchday preview · 2026-06-12 |
| Wesley | Out of the World Cup — a muscle injury in the friendly win over Egypt; Danilo fills in at right-back | ESPN / RotoWire · 2026-06-12 |
| Nayef Aguerd | Out — pubalgia keeps Morocco's first-choice centre-back out of the projected XI | RotoWire matchday preview · 2026-06-12 |
| Noussair Mazraoui | Doubt — a shoulder issue leaves the left-back questionable | RotoWire matchday preview · 2026-06-12 |
Availability drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Watch: FS1 in English (stream via Fox One or the Fox Sports app with a TV provider), with Telemundo in Spanish and Peacock on the Spanish side. (NBC / CBS how-to-watch guides, as of 2026-06-12)
Weather: Open-air, mostly clear and warm — mid-80s °F at a 6 p.m. evening kickoff in New Jersey, easing as the sun drops over MetLife. (AccuWeather MetLife Stadium forecast / Newsweek World Cup weather, as of 2026-06-12)
Venue: New York/New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium), East Rutherford, NJ, United States — FIFA strips sponsor names for the tournament; the everyday name is in parentheses.