NEW JERSEY,USA, June 2026 –Morocco and Brazil shared the spoils 1-1 during a Group C FIFA World Cup 2026 encounter played in the sweltering sun that scorched a sell-out crowd at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.
With intent and purpose, Atlas Lions forward Ismael Saibari opened the scoreline in the 21st minute by chipping the ball over the oncoming Seleção goalkeeper Alisson Becker after receiving a sumptuous through pass from Brahim Diaz.
In the 32nd minute, Brazil’s talisman Vinícius Júnior restored parity to make it 1-1 before the break after a fine move by Bruno Guimarães. He unleashed a right-footed sizzling shot that left Morocco’s shot-stopper Yassine Bounou well beaten. The second half saw a balanced contest with both teams searching for the winner.
In his post-match interview, Seleção tactician Carlo Ancelotti expressed concern that his charges did not start well.
“We lost a lot of duels and possession, had difficulty getting out of the pressure, but we improved in the second half of a difficult match. I’m now going to focus on the next match,” he said as he praised Morocco as a good team.
The North Africans, coached by Mohamed Ouaghi, are making their seventh appearance at the global showpiece, having previously featured in 1970, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2018, 2022 and 2026.
In 2022, they produced a historic and remarkable performance to become the first African country to reach the FIFA World Cup semi-final after topping their group stage, defeating Spain in the Round of 16 on penalties, and Portugal in the quarter-finals.
They were eliminated by defending champions France 2-0 and finished fourth after facing Croatia. Their counterparts Brazil are still leading the pack with 23 appearances since the inaugural tournament in Uruguay in 1950.
Despite having last won the coveted trophy in 2002 co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, they remain the only nation to have clinched it five times: Sweden (1958), Chile (1962), Mexico (1970), USA (1994), and Korea/Japan (2002).The group also has Haiti and Scotland, who were facing off in a follow-up fixture.
In the earlier fixture, 2022 hosts Qatar grabbed a late equaliser to draw with Switzerland 1-1. Under immense pressure, Miro Muheim’s own goal cancelled out Breel Embolo’s 17th-minute penalty.
