Saibari and Vinicius trade goals as Brazil and Morocco draw 1-1 in World Cup Group C opener
Morocco and Brazil played out a 1-1 draw in their Group C opener at a sold-out MetLife Stadium on Saturday, with Ismael Saibari's lob cancelling out a Vinicius Junior strike.
Match overview
The first marquee match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup ended without a winner as Brazil and Morocco drew 1-1 in Group C on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A crowd of 80,663 filled the venue that will also host the tournament final on 19 July. Both teams collected one point and share the group lead ahead of later matches between Scotland and Haiti.
He is working hard to get fit as quickly as possible. We hope he can resume full training next week.
Brazil, seeking a sixth world title and its first in 24 years, started without Neymar, still recovering from injury. Morocco, semi-finalists four years ago and reigning African champions, pressed aggressively from kick-off.
Key moments
Morocco struck first in the 21st minute. Brahim Diaz threaded a pass through the centre of the Brazilian defence to Ismael Saibari, who raced clear and lifted a lob over goalkeeper Alisson. Brazil responded 11 minutes later. Vinicius Junior cut in from the left, shifted the ball with a decisive hook and drove a powerful shot beyond Bono into the far corner.
Second-half control
Carlo Ancelotti, experiencing his first World Cup as Brazil's head coach at age 67, made two changes at half-time, sending on Danilo and Fabinho. The equaliser reshaped the contest. Both sides adopted a more cautious posture after the restart, and clear chances became rare. Neither team appeared willing to gamble for a late winner.
Group picture
Brazil and Morocco sit atop Group C with one point each. Haiti and Scotland played later in Boston. In the second round Brazil face Haiti in Philadelphia on 19 June, while Morocco meet Scotland in Boston the same day.
