Favouritism confirmed in Philadelphia

Yesterday, Brazil beat Haiti 3–0 in Philadelphia in the second round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.

The result came as no surprise. Currently ranked 5th in the FIFA rankings, Brazil boast a squad featuring seven players nominated for the ‘Ballon d'Or’ and remain the only team to have featured in every edition of the World Cup, as well as being the most successful side in history, with five titles. On the other hand, Haiti are ranked 87th and were competing in only their second World Cup – their first having been more than 50 years ago.

The match also marked the biggest gap in FIFA rankings between two teams in the group stage of this year’s tournament.

Despite Brazil’s complete dominance, the 3–0 scoreline was the narrowest ever recorded in favour of the Seleção in the history of the fixture, which includes 4–0 victories in 1974, 6–0 in 2004 and 7–1 in 2016.

Although the performance reinforced the image of a Brazil side well organised by Carlo Ancelotti – a team that plays as a unit, values passing and seeks to get its forwards into space down the flanks and between the opposition’s lines – two individual performances stood out in particular.

Matheus Cunha seizes his opportunity

The first was that of Matheus Cunha.

The Manchester United forward started on the bench in the opener against Morocco, but was given a place in the starting line-up against the Caribbean side, coming on as a substitute for Igor Thiago. And he made the most of it. Although Cunha had scored just one goal for the national team prior to the match, he found the net twice against Haiti.

In the 23rd minute, Bruno Guimarães played the ball to Vinícius Júnior, who drove forward down the left, cut inside and fired a precise shot. Haitian goalkeeper Johny Placide failed to hold onto the ball, and defender Hannes Delcroix deflected it into the path of Cunha, who slotted it into the empty net. It wasn’t a spectacular goal, but it did the job.

Just 13 minutes later, Cunha scored again, firing a powerful and precise shot from a tight angle. Unlike the first, this was a quality goal – showcasing the striker’s impressive ability as a lethal finisher.

With this second goal, Cunha joined an exclusive club: only six other Brazilian centre-forwards have scored two or more goals in a single World Cup match (Ademir de Menezes in 1950, Tostão in 1970, Careca in 1986 and 1990, Ronaldo in 1998, 2002 and 2006, Luís Fabiano in 2010 and Richarlison in 2022).

Vinícius Júnior dominates the match

The player responsible for the assist for Cunha’s second goal – launching the Brazilian counter-attack after Haiti lost possession in midfield – was the same player who had already been involved in the brilliant move that led to the first: Vinícius Júnior, another standout performer of the match.

The 25-year-old winger, already established as one of Real Madrid’s leading figures and a key player in two of the Spanish club’s 15 Champions League triumphs, once again demonstrated why he is regarded as one of the best players in world football.

After playing a decisive role in Brazil’s first two goals, setting up Matheus Cunha, Vini also scored one himself. Shortly before half-time, Lucas Paquetá lofted a ball over the defence and found the Real Madrid forward, who outpaced the Haitian back line and beat the goalkeeper with a low shot into the corner.

The goal also carries symbolic significance: with it, Vini has now been directly involved in all of Brazil’s goals in this World Cup. He has now been involved in six goals in six matches in the tournament – a figure made all the more impressive when compared to that of Ronaldinho, winner of the 2005 ‘Ballon d'Or’ and 2002 World Cup champion, who also contributed to six goals, but over the course of ten matches.

Ronaldinho himself was present at the match, watching the game alongside other Brazilian winners of the ‘Ballon d'Or’ such as Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Kaká, whilst Vini – a four-time nominee for the award – wrote yet another important chapter in his career with the national team.

Speaking of the great winners of the ‘Ballon d'Or’, Vini paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time winner of the award, with his signature ‘hands on hips’ celebration.

Just as in the opening match against Morocco, FIFA named Vini man of the match against Haiti, crowning yet another outstanding performance in the yellow and green.

Brazil dominate but squander chances

Despite having built up a 3–0 lead by half-time, Brazil failed to add to their tally, despite creating good chances. In the first half, Raphinha did score, but the goal was ruled out for offside. In the second half, both Gabriel Martinelli and Douglas Santos came close, but the ball wouldn’t go in.

In the 33rd minute of the second half, Endrick did find the net after receiving a perfect pass from Rayan, but the goal was also ruled out for offside.

Even so, the move serves as an encouraging sign for Brazilian fans. The two forwards, both aged 19, are among the country’s most promising talents and could establish themselves as key players for the national team in the coming years.

The pair’s presence on the pitch also marked a historic milestone: it was only the second time in World Cup history that Brazil had fielded two players under the age of 20 in the same match. The first occasion was in 1958, during the campaign that saw them win their first World Cup title, when Mazzola, then aged 19, and Pelé, aged 17, played together against Wales.

Brazil top the group and Haiti bid farewell

With this result, Brazil retains top spot in Group C and reinforces a curious record: the national team has scored at least three goals in a single World Cup match on more occasions than any other side, having done so 41 times.

Now, the team need only a draw against Scotland in the final group stage match to secure qualification.

For Haiti, the defeat confirmed their early elimination, having also lost to Scotland in the previous round.

Even so, the Caribbean side leaves the tournament with its head held high. They showed courage against the Scots and even threatened Alisson’s goal in the second half against Brazil, when a header from Ricardo Adé was saved by the Liverpool goalkeeper. Qualifying for the tournament after a half-century absence is, in itself, a significant milestone for the country.

Haiti’s ambassador to Brazil, Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste, celebrated the team’s participation in the tournament even after their elimination and highlighted the symbolism of the meeting between the two nations: “Tonight we didn’t see any fans. We saw friends from Haiti and friends from Brazil. We were all friends. That is symbolic. Whenever Brazil is in the World Cup, Haiti is there too. Anyone who thinks Haiti lost today is mistaken. Of course we lost the match, but Haiti carries on, because Brazil carries on too. From the start, everyone knew that, regardless of the result, the celebrations would go ahead just the same. Haiti is still in the World Cup.” (GPS Brasília)

The two countries, in fact, share a historic bond through football, reinforced by the iconic ‘Match for Peace’, played in 2004. On that occasion, the Brazilian national team travelled to Haiti amidst a period of political instability for a symbolic friendly match that brought the two nations even closer together.