Brazil Vs Morocco The First Heavyweight Clash Of The World Cup

Kolkata: Perhaps this is the best time to start the trend that Brazil’s World Cup salvation probably rides 24-year cycles ending in the United States. Kicking off with a difficult tie? That too, given this is the only group-stage fixture to feature two teams inside the top 10 — Brazil are sixth, Morocco eighth — of the FIFA world rankings. Also probably add Brazil’s fifth-place qualification — their worst from the South America group since the format was introduced 30 years ago — to underscore the point that this could have been a near-miss.

For all the intrigue surrounding Brazil at the World Cup, the psychological aspect of following them is often reinvented as a coping mechanism for their faithful. Every World Cup can’t be won. Hence an uninspiring backstory to validate the defeat, if it comes to that. It’s this emotional setup that makes Brazil such an exhausting team to follow and love.

This edition too feels the same. Coached by a celebrity manager, nursing a larger than life striker who may have been an emotional selection, Brazil are back in the United States after 32 years. And there could scarcely be a more revealing opening assignment than a meeting with Morocco.

Having long graduated from the category of plucky outsiders, Morocco begin this World Cup on the high of their semi-final finish in 2022. That achievement also doesn’t feel one-off, considering Morocco are the only African team to win all eight of their qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Add to that the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, retrospectively awarded after a controversial off the field win against Senegal, and Morocco look prepared for another extended run.

Brazil have topped their first-round group in every World Cup since 1982, a record Carlo Ancelotti would like to keep blemish free. With Scotland and Haiti posing very little threat on paper, Brazil essentially are looking at just one testing game for the entire group phase. So it’s pertinent they don’t make any mistakes.

First games are always tricky though. Buildups rarely matter, nor does recent form. And the uncertainty over Neymar—he has skipped several training sessions now—makes Brazil look indecisive at a juncture where they should be fit and raring to go.

Which only heightens the intrigue because opening matches are rarely occasions for expansive statements. They are exercises in control, discipline and avoiding costly mistakes. Brazil will be conscious of the need to make a strong start without exposing themselves unnecessarily. This in turn should prepare Morocco to look for signs of anxiety.

“What really matters is the condition you are at the first game. We are ready,” said Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker on Thursday. “This last cycle was hard, we felt it deeply. But everything started to get better once Ancelotti arrived. He has a very strong presence in the group and gives us tranquility to work,” he said.

Ancelotti has been with Brazil for almost a year, but only after the Selecao had tried four different coaches and 84 different players since 2023. They qualified behind Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Uruguay, with Ancelotti appointed as coach just before the final two matches. Neymar’s injury might require a longer-term solution, meaning Ancelotti must rely on Vinicius Junior and Raphinha, who hadn’t scored a single goal in Qatar, to spearhead the team.

“I think I felt more pressure in 2022, because I was more immature. I was quite new to the national team and had just arrived at Barcelona,” said Raphinha. “I didn’t feel completely settled in the Brazil squad. I feel much more ready now.”

Morocco’s ability to absorb pressure before striking quickly through wide areas and attacking midfield positions should keep Brazil’s defence worried though. And while Alisson said Ancelotti has worked on improving the defence, much will hinge on how Brazil intend to impose rhythm and sustain pressure around the Moroccan penalty area. If Brazil struggle on that front, Morocco’s prospects improve considerably.

The result may not define either team’s tournament, but it should offer a valuable indication of their prospects. Morocco have been tactically disciplined, and if Brazil can overcome that, confidence in Ancelotti’s project should grow quickly. But if Morocco take points from the favourites, it will reinforce the sense that their rise is no longer a surprise but an inevitability.

Somshuvra Laha is a sports journalist with over 11 years' experience writing on cricket, football and other sports. He has covered the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, the 2016 ICC World Twenty20, cricket tours of South Africa, West Indies and Bangladesh and the 2010 Commonwealth Games for Hindustan Times.Read More