Brazil held to 1-1 draw by Morocco in World Cup opener; 'We didn't play well,' admits Ancelotti

A sold-out MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, hosted the opening match for both Brazil and Morocco in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 80,663 fans witnessed a 1-1 draw that left the five-time champions with work to do.

Morocco, building on their historic semi-final run in 2022, started aggressively and took the lead in the 21st minute. Brahim Díaz slipped a through ball to Ismael Saibari, who lobbed the onrushing Alisson to stun the heavily Brazilian crowd.

Brazil responded through Vinicius Junior in the 32nd minute. The Real Madrid forward cut in from the left, beat his marker, and fired into the far corner past goalkeeper Bono. The match remained level at half-time after Bono acrobatically denied Lucas Paqueta's bicycle kick in stoppage time.

Second half pressure

Brazil controlled much of the second half, with Igor Thiago, Raphinha and substitute Danilo Santos all forcing saves from Bono. Morocco remained dangerous on the counter. The best chance fell to Saibari again in the 72nd minute but he shot over the bar. In the ninth minute of added time, Alisson produced a double save from Neil El Aynaoui and Ayoube Amaimouni to preserve the point.

Ancelotti: 'We didn't play well'

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti was frank in his post-match assessment.

“I think we need to reassess what we did in this match. We did not play well. We were unbalanced and lost possession several times.”

He struck a note of calm, noting the tournament is long.

“We played a little better in the second half, but we must not lose confidence. It was the first match and we cannot expect the team to be perfect from the start.”

Ancelotti singled out Vinicius for praise, saying the forward "played well. He was very dangerous and has all the qualities to have an excellent World Cup."

Romario dismisses defeat talk

Brazilian icon Romario clashed with a journalist who suggested the draw felt like a defeat.

“Anyone who doesn't know much about football will have the same opinion as you. We are Brazilian, and Morocco, in my opinion, played better, were more technical, better positioned, and of course we have better players than Morocco.”

He added that he was satisfied with the result given Morocco's performance.

Group picture

In the other Group C match, Scotland edged Haiti 1-0. Brazil next face Haiti on 20 June, while Morocco take on Scotland the same day. Brazil's campaign continues without Neymar, who missed the opener through injury.