The Draw Heard around the World (Cup)

The opening game in Group C between Brazil and Morocco was one of the most anticipated match-ups in the bloated group phase of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The prospects of Brazil in this tournament, quite uncharacteristically, seem way less bullish. The Brazilian side, under the stewardship of Carlo Ancelotti no less, looks quite strong on paper, with the likes of Vinicius Jr. and Rafinha in attack and the formidable centre-back partnership of Marquinhos and Gabriel.  

But a rather unconvincing qualifying campaign meant they entered this World Cup with considerably less expectations. In what seems like a history-defying consensus, Morocco appeared to many to be better suited to take a positive result from the game.

I have only once seen Brazil not win an opening match in the World Cups, against Switzerland in 2018. Before that, one has to go back to 1978 to find Brazil failing to win their opening World Cup game. Of all 23 editions, Brazil has drawn only four of their opening games and lost just once, back in the first staging of the World Cup in 1930. 

Still, the mood around Brazil before the opener this time around seemed cautious. Morocco had a completely different qualifying journey, winning eight of eight games and also unlike Brazil, put up a commendable display in the last continental tournament. Many consider this Morocco side to be better than four years ago, and a late change of manager did not appear to disrupt their standards.

Morocco had undone Belgium, saw off Spain and outplayed Portugal to claim a semi-final berth in 2022, but this performance against Brazil, especially the first half, is still a statement performance in my books because of the consummate self-assured brilliance that they radiated. We already knew Morocco were firmly among the top dogs, and now they have cemented that reputation. Brazil seemed technically unmatched and tactically out-thought by Morocco for most of the game. Morocco’s command in the midfield battle was good enough to turn skeptics into fans. 

The recent injection of Ayyoub Bouaddi into the Morocco squad promises great dividends. This is a player who, born in France, has played in multiple youth teams for France and has also captained their u-21s. But his declaration for Morocco could not be timed any sweeter. 

During only his fourth senior cap, he delivered an assertive display, thoroughly outplaying the likes of Casemiro, who has just emerged from a fantastic half-season in the most challenging league in the world. The rest of the Brazil midfielders, Guimaraes and Paqueta, endured a similarly rough game, mostly owing to Bouaddi’s brilliance. None of the three completed the game. Roger Ibanez, a centre-back by trade, served as a severely weak link in the Brazil backline. 

Ancelotti had to take the tough call of subbing Casemiro off at halftime to introduce Fabinho, who plays his club football in Saudi Arabia for the last three seasons. That helped Brazil wrest back some control. By the hour mark, Ancelotti had also subbed off Igor Thiago, who missed a gilt-etched chance to head home the opening goal from a Vini Jr. cross and Paqueta, whose only memorable action in the match had been a failed but sharp acrobatic attempt at scoring.

Cunha came in to fill the void at number 9, where he fared much better than Thiago and provided the Brazilian front-three with some much-needed dynamism and a streak of unpredictability. But they could not find a second. Nor could Morocco. In the last quarter of the match, both teams seemed content with the match finishing 1-1. 

Both the goals scored within a 12-minute stretch at the first half were spectacular. Brahim Diaz’s extraordinarily executed defence-splitting pass that sent Saibari through was a crowning moment in a period of Moroccan superiority across the pitch. Hakimi and Mazraoui, the full-backs, were popping up as extra men on both wings. 

They held their shape masterfully and seemed perennially on the verge of creating a great chance. Morocco’s creativity was obvious, but they lacked the incisive edge. Diaz’s pass was one of those moments where their creativity could be effectively encashed. And Saibari, a back-to-back Eredivisie champion, perfectly provided a one-touch finish by catching Alisson in no-man’s land with an audacious lob. 

Brazil’s attacking display had not been up to the mark. The occasional technical mastery from Vini and tireless determination from Rafinha were coming up short against a carefully organised defence. Bunou, despite needing treatment in the second half, remained a calming presence at the goal. The only way Brazil seemed to have back into the match was through a goal out of the blue through a moment of individual inspiration. They needed a cathartic moment of relief.  

Vini’s slalom full of twists and turns, beating multiple defenders to lash in a sumptuous curler into the far corner, was a perfect example of such a moment. As long as Neymar, now a slower, rustier shadow of his old self, remains out of the starting line-up, Vinicius seems to be perfectly poised to take the mantle of being the talismanic presence in a Brazil side that often looks disjointed and sort of lost. 

Vinicius Jr., who will turn 26 during this World Cup, already has a World Cup highlight reel worthy of being called exceptional. If Brazil goes significantly deep into the tournament, Vini will certainly have to create quite a few more such exhilarating moments. 

At the end of the game, Brazil seemed the side happier with the draw. That in itself is quite telling. Brazil will feel relieved because the harder part of the group league is over. Morocco will draw a lot of positives from such a display, but they will feel disappointment at not having punished Brazil harder when they had them in their grip. 

Morocco could have, here, secured the three points that would have certainly propelled them towards winning the group outright. Brazil, as it appears, have a lot to prove before their “favourite” tag looks fitting again.