The first hurdle on the road to a sixth title

The 2026 World Cup is about to kick off, and Brazil heads into the tournament looking to recapture the glory of past generations and further extend on its stature as the world’s most successful team, with five titles to its name.

To do so, the Seleção will first and foremost need to get through the group stage – something they have only failed to do on two occasions in history: 1930 and 1966.

Standing in the way of the Seleção in this first stage are three opponents:

  • 13 June – Morocco (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey)

  • 19 June – Haiti (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

  • 24 June – Scotland (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida)

Only time will tell just how big a challenge awaits Brazil in this group stage. While the ball hasn’t started rolling yet, however, we can already take a look back at the Seleção’s history against each of their opponents.

And the first of these is Morocco. As we look forward to the Seleção’s opening match, let’s take a look back at how the two sides have fared against each other throughout history.

Brazil and Morocco have previously faced each other three times.

The first chapter: Belém, 1997

The first encounter took place almost 30 years ago, on 9 October 1997. Played at the Mangueirão Stadium in Belém, the friendly served as preparation for the 1998 World Cup in France. At that time, the legendary manager Mário Zagallo was still assessing which players would be part of the squad representing Brazil at the World Cup.

One player who perhaps did not help his cause was striker Dodô, then at São Paulo, who missed a penalty before the ten-minute mark.

On the other hand, his club-mate Denílson – already signed by Real Betis and considered one of the most promising wingers in world football – took another step towards a call-up with a decisive performance against the Moroccans.

Brazil struggled to break down the Atlas Lions’ defence for much of the match, but everything changed in the closing minutes. In the 80th minute, Denílson opened the scoring with a powerful shot from outside the box. Shortly afterwards, he won a penalty and converted it to seal a 2-0 victory.

The match ended up serving as a preview of what would happen the following year, when the two teams were drawn in the same group at the World Cup.

The rematch at the World Cup: Nantes, 1998

On 16 June 1998, at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, Brazil dominated Morocco from start to finish. The chemistry of the Seleção’s attacking trio caught the eye: Ronaldo opened the scoring after just nine minutes, Rivaldo doubled the lead shortly before half-time, and five minutes into the second half, Bebeto scored the third, sealing a 3-0 victory.

The Seleção finished top of the group with six points. Norway progressed in second place with five, whilst Morocco finished with just four points and were eliminated before the round of 16.

The Moroccan rematch: Tangier, 2023

The third and most recent meeting between the two sides took place on 25 March 2023, in a friendly played a few months after the World Cup in Qatar.

The two nations went into the match in very different situations. Brazil had started the World Cup as one of the main favourites for the title, backed by a talented squad and a history that commands respect, but ended up falling short of expectations by being knocked out by Croatia in the quarter-finals. Morocco, on the other hand, was the competition’s big surprise. The African side reached the semi-finals after defeating powerhouses such as Belgium and Portugal, achieving the best World Cup campaign by an African team in history.

The friendly marked the start of a new cycle for both sides, but the difference in confidence was evident. Whilst Brazil were still trying to come to terms with the disappointment of Qatar, Morocco took to the pitch buoyed by the greatest moment in their history.

On the pitch, the Moroccans were the better side. Brazil struggled to keep up with their opponents’ pace and created little going forward. Not even an uncharacteristic error by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who failed to deal with the ball that led to Casemiro’s goal, was enough to turn the match around.

Morocco opened the scoring after a fine exchange of passes between Sofiane Boufal and Bilal El Khannouss. After Brazil equalised, the home side continued to press and found the winning goal in the 34th minute of the second half, when substitute Abdelhamid Sabiri struck a fine volley.

It is also important to remember that the context did not favour the Seleção. In the midst of a squad overhaul, the coaching staff made several changes to the group that had competed in the World Cup months earlier. Tite was no longer in charge, having been replaced on an interim basis by Ramon Menezes, and only 10 of the 23 players selected for Qatar were called up again for that friendly.

Morocco, for their part, retained the core squad that had made history at the World Cup. Manager Walid Regragui remained in charge and had virtually the entire squad that had reached the semi-finals at his disposal.

Another key factor was the venue. The match took place at the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier, in front of a Moroccan crowd that packed the stands and turned the friendly into a true celebration of the historic campaign in Qatar.

Despite the defeat, Ramon Menezes highlighted the importance of giving opportunities to new players with the national team’s future in mind: “We gave opportunities to some players – that’s also very important.” (TNT Sports Brasil)

Regragui, for his part, celebrated Morocco’s first victory over Brazil without hiding his admiration for the opposition: “If you love football, you will always love Brazilian football. I watch Brazilian football and think it’s fantastic. I always want to see them play.” He then made a prediction that Brazilian fans are certainly hoping will come true: “The Brazilian national team will come back [stronger].” (ESPN)

Was Regragui right?

It is still too early to tell.

The next chapter: New Jersey, 2026

Today, the two teams arrive at the World Cup on a very similar footing, with squads packed with players who rank among the best in the world in their positions.

In the FIFA rankings, the difference is minimal: Brazil are in sixth place, just two places ahead of Morocco, who are in eighth.

Recent history also underlines this balance. In their last ten matches, the Seleção have won six and drawn one, whilst the Moroccans have recorded seven wins and three draws. The main difference lies in the defeats: Brazil have lost three matches, whilst Morocco remain unbeaten.

The Atlas Lions’ last defeat came in August last year, against Kenya. Since then, the team has maintained its good form and heads into the World Cup on the back of winning its second Africa Cup of Nations, secured earlier this year.

Both teams have also recently embarked on new eras under their respective managers. Carlo Ancelotti took charge of the Brazilian national team in May last year, replacing Dorival Júnior. In Morocco, Mohamed Ouahbi arrived in March this year to take over from Walid Regragui.

Like his predecessor, Ouahbi makes no secret of his admiration for Brazilian football. After leading Morocco to the Under-20 World Cup title last year, he stated in an interview: “There is no national team in the world quite like Brazil.” (GOAL)

Even so, not everyone sees Brazil as the favourites for the match. Former midfielder Mustapha Hadji, who played in the matches between the two sides in 1997 and 1998, believes the respect should come from the other side: “It is Brazil who should fear Morocco.” (Remontada, Medi1TV)

In terms of Ballon d’Or nominations, the Brazilian national team has the numerical advantage. The squad boasts seven players who have previously been nominated for the award: Alisson, Marquinhos, Casemiro, Fabinho, Neymar, Raphinha and Vinícius Júnior.

Morocco, meanwhile, has two names on the list: Yassine Bounou and Achraf Hakimi.

There is also no shortage of connections between the squads. Marquinhos and Hakimi share a dressing room at Paris Saint-Germain, whilst Brahim Díaz and Vinícius Júnior are teammates at Real Madrid.

In short: in three previous encounters between the sides, Brazil have won two, whilst Morocco came out on top in the most recent match. In total, Brazil have scored six goals to Morocco’s two.

But what will the balance be after the match in New Jersey?

Will Brazil extend their lead in the head-to-head record, or will Morocco take another step towards levelling the contest?

The answer will be revealed on the pitch.