THE BIGGEST GAME AT THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP SO FAR: BRAZIL VS MOROCCO

By: Isaac Amponsah (Dr Ike)

Predictions: Home win/draw

• The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the 23rd edition since the tournament started in 1930, and this edition is expected to run from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

• The tournament is the first FIFA World Cup hosted by three nations: Mexico, Canada, and the United States. It is jointly hosted by sixteen cities - three in Mexico, two in Canada, and eleven in the United States. As the host nations, Mexico, Canada, and the United States all automatically qualified.

• Since the maiden edition in 1930, nineteen (19) countries have hosted the FIFA World Cup.

• The 2026 edition is the first time Canada has hosted the FIFA World Cup, the second time the United States has hosted the tournament (1994 and 2026), and Mexico is the first country to have hosted the tournament three times (1970, 1986, 2026).

• Brazil and Morocco will repeat the Group fixture of the 1998 FIFA World Cup hosted in France, exactly 28 years after their 3-0 triumph by Brazil.

• This fixture is the only group-stage game to feature two teams currently inside the top 10 of the FIFA World Ranking (Brazil 6th, Morocco 8th).

Venue: MetLife stadium, East Rutherford in New Jersey.

• Head-to-Head 

• October 9, 1997 (International Friendly)
Venue: Mangueirao, Belem, Brazil 
Brazil                             2-0 Morocco
Denilson (brace) 80', 89' (pen)

June 16, 1998 (1998 World Cup) [Group A] {MD2}
Venue: Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France 
Brazil                             3-0 Morocco 
Ronaldo 9', Rivaldo 45+2', Bebeto 50.'
• NB: Ronaldo and Rivaldo netted their first-ever World Cup goals.

• Saturday, March 25, 2023 (International Friendly)
Venue: Grand Stade de Tanger, Morocco 
Morocco                       2-1 Brazil
Sofiane Boufal 29', Abdelhamid Sabiri 79'//Casemiro 67'
• NB: Morocco earned their first-ever win against Brazil.

• Recent Performance:

• Brazil's Recent Performance:

• Brazil has scored in each of its last eight games in all competitions. They have scored in every game since a World Cup Qualifiers meeting with Bolivia in September 2025.

• Brazil has won four, drawn one, and lost one in their last six games in all competitions. They scored 15 and conceded seven over that period, scoring first in four of the six matches. The Brazilian had seven first-half goals, while their opponents scored four times in the first 45 minutes.

• Morocco's Recent Performance: 

• In 2026, Morocco won six, drew two, and lost one. They have kept a clean sheet in the last 5 games. 

• The Moroccan team has won three, drawn two, and lost one in their last six games. They have scored 13 and conceded four over that stretch, netting first in three of the six matches. Morocco had three goals in the first half, while their opponents failed to find the net before the break.

• Morocco played out a 1-1 draw against Norway in their last match on June 7 in an international friendly at Sports Illustrated Stadium, extending their unbeaten streak to five games in all competitions. Brahim Diaz scored in the draw.

• Match Facts:

• The Selecao of Brazil is ranked 6th in the FIFA rankings (June 11, 2026).

• Their first international game was on September 20, 1914 (Argentina 3-0 Brazil).

• The Atlas Lions of Morocco are ranked 7th by the FIFA latest rankings (June 11, 2026)

• Their first international game was on October 19, 1957 (Morocco 3-3 Iraq).

• Player Records: 

• Brazil's most capped player: Cafu (142 caps, 5 goals).

• Morocco's most capped player: Noureddine Naybet (115 caps, 11 goals).

• Brazil's all-time top scorer: Neymar (79 goals, 128 caps).

• Morocco's all-time top scorer: Ahmed Faras (36 goals, 94 caps).

• Team Information:

• Brazil is located in South America and is part of the CONMEBOL Federation.

• Morocco is located in Africa (CAF) and is part of the North Africa (UNAF) Federation.

• On July 14, 1930, Brazil played their debut game at the FIFA World Cup tournament against Yugoslavia in Uruguay 1930 (Yugoslavia 2-1 Brazil).

• The first Brazilian to score a goal at the FIFA World Cup is Preguinho on the 62nd minute against Yugoslavia in 1930, when he scored the consolation for his side (2-1).

• Brazil recorded their first-ever win at the FIFA World Cup on July 20, 1930 (96 years ago) against Bolivia in a Group 2 fixture (4-0) courtesy Moderato 37, 73', and Preguinho 57', 83'.

• Brazil is the ONLY country in football history to have qualified consecutively for every single FIFA World Cup since its inception in 1930.

• The 2026 edition of the tournament marks Brazil's 23rd appearance at the FIFA World Cup, a legend of consistency.

• Since 1986, only five (5) nations have NEVER missed a single FIFA World Cup: Brazil, Spain, Germany, Argentina, and South Korea.

• Among the national teams, Brazil has played the most FIFA World Cup matches (114) and has the best win rate in the history of the tournament (67% - (76 wins), and has scored the most goals (237).  

• Brazil are unbeaten in their last 20 opening matches (W17 D3), and their last defeat in an opener came in 1934 against Spain (1-3). Brazil has topped their first-round group in every FIFA World Cup edition since 1982. 

• The trophy has been won by only eight 8 national teams, with Brazil being the most successful country with 5 titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002), followed by Germany and Italy with 4 titles, France and inaugural winner Uruguay, each with 2 titles, and England and Spain, with 1 title each. 

• Brazil's last FIFA World Cup triumph came in 2002, and they have gone five (5) tournaments (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) without lifting the trophy, their joint-longest run without winning it along with 1930-1954 and 1974-1990.

• Raphinha was involved in the most goals for Brazil in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers - he scored five (5) goals and made two (2) assists. In the 2022 edition of the tournament, he was the player who had the most shots on target without finding the back of the net (6 shots on target, 0 goals).

• Carlo Ancelotti is the first non-Brazilian to lead the Selecao at the FIFA World Cup. He could be the third coach to win both the World Cup and the UEFA Champions League/European Cup after Marcello Lippi and Vicente del Bosque. Ancelotti will experience his first FIFA World Cup as head coach when his side faces Morocco.

• Morocco is making their seventh FIFA World Cup appearance, including their third in a row, the longest streak in their history and the joint-current longest for an African team alongside Senegal and Tunisia. 

• The first Moroccan to score a goal at the FIFA World Cup is Jarir in the 21st minute against West Germany in the 1970 tournament, when he scored the consolation for his side (2-1).

• Morocco has never won their opening match at the FIFA World Cup (D3 L3) [2-1 vs West Germany in 1970, 0-0 vs Poland in 1986, 1-0 vs Belgium in 1994, 2-2 vs Norway in 1998, 0-1 vs Iran in 2018, 0-0 vs Croatia in 2022].

• Morocco's fourth-place finish in 2022 was the highest by an African nation at the FIFA World Cup. They kept four clean sheets, more than across their previous 16 games in the tournament (3). 

• Morocco was the only team in the CAF section to win 100% of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers (8/8). 

• Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El Kaabi scored eight (8) of Morocco's nine (9) goals at the 2025 AFCON. Brahim Diaz was the top scorer for the tournament (5 goals), and El Kaabi scored 3 goals.

• Morocco recorded their first-ever win at the FIFA World Cup on June 11, 1986 (40 years ago) against Portugal in a Group F fixture (1-3).

• In 1986, Morocco made history as the first African team to win a World Cup group and advance to the knock-out stage. At the 2022 World Cup, Morocco became the first African and first Arab team to reach a FIFA World Cup semi-final.

• They were also the third FIFA World Cup semi-finalist from outside Europe or South America (USA in 1930, South Korea in 2002, and Morocco in 2022).

• Morocco has so far played 23 games at the FIFA World Cup since their debut appearance in the 1970 edition (W5 D7 L11 GF20 GA27).

• In 2025, Morocco set a world record for the longest winning streak in international football, achieving 19 consecutive victories across all competitions.

• Morocco was ranked 10th in the FIFA World Rankings in April 1998. They were Africa’s highest-ranked national team for three consecutive years, from 1997 to 1999. 

• As of June 11, 2026, Morocco is ranked 7th in the world, the highest ranking by an African team since Nigeria in 1994.

• Additional Facts:

• Brazil against African opponents at the FIFA World Cup:

• Brazil has won seven of its eight FIFA World Cup matches against African opposition, with the sole exception being a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in 2022. 
• December 2, 2022 (2022 World Cup) [Group G] {MD3}
Venue: Lusail Stadium 
Cameroon 1-0 Brazil 
Vincent Aboubakar 90+2'

• Brazil defeated Egypt 2-1 in their last match on June 6 in an International friendly game at Huntington Bank Field, their third victory in a row. Bruno Guimaraes and Endrick scored in the win. In four games this year, they have three wins and one loss.

• Morocco against South American opponents at the FIFA World Cup:

• Morocco has lost all their games against South American opponents at the FIFA World Cup:
• 06/06/1970 Peru 3-0 Morocco (1970 World Cup) [Group 4] {MD2}
• 16/06/1998 Brazil 3-0 Morocco (1998 World Cup) [Group A] {MD2}

• Two Nations' FIFA World Cup games on June 13:

• Brazil is unbeaten at the FIFA World Cup on June 13 (W3 D1).
• June 13, 1962 (1962 World Cup) [Semi-finals]
Venue: Estadio Nacional, Santiago, Chile
Brazil                             4-2 Chile 
Garrincha 9', 32', Vava 47', 78'//Toro 42', L. Sanchez 61' (pen)

• June 13, 1974 (1974 World Cup) [First round, Group 2] {MD1}
Venue: Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany 
Brazil                             0-0 Yugoslavia

• June 13, 2002 (2002 World Cup) []
Venue: Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon
Costa Rica                    2-5 Brazil 
Wanchope 39', Gomez 56'//Ronaldo 10, 13', Edmilson 38', Rivaldo 62', Junior 64'

• June 13, 2006 (2006 World Cup) [Group F] {MD1}
Venue: Olympiastadion, Berlin 
Brazil                             1-0 Croatia 
Kaka 44'

• Morocco's Record on June 13:
• Brazil and Morocco's encounter on June 13 will be their first-ever game on the match date at the FIFA World Cup tournament.

• Two Nations' FIFA World Cup in the United States:

• Brazil is unbeaten at the FIFA World Cup games played in the United States (W5 D2):
• 20/06/1994 - Brazil 2-0 Russia (1994 World Cup) [Group B] {MD1}
• 24/06/1994 - Brazil 3-0 Cameroon (1994 World Cup) [Group B] {MD2}
• 28/06/1994 - Brazil 1-1 Sweden (1994 World Cup) [Group B] {MD3}
• 04/07/1994 - Brazil 1-0 United States (1994 World Cup) [Round of 16] 
• 09/07/1994 - Netherlands 2-3 Brazil (1994 World Cup) [Quarter-finals]
• 13/07/1994 - Sweden 0-1 Brazil (1994 World Cup) [Semi-finals]
• 17/07/1994 - Brazil 0-0 Italy a.e.t. 3-2p. (1994 World Cup) [Final]

• Morocco is winless at the FIFA World Cup games played on the soil of the United States (L3):
• 19/06/1994 - Belgium 1-0 Morocco (Group Stage) [1994 World Cup]
• 25/06/1994 - Saudi Arabia 2-1 Morocco (Group Stage) [1994 World Cup]
• 29/06/1994 - Morocco 1-2 Netherlands (Group Stage) [1994 World Cup]

• Two Nations' FIFA World Cup games on Saturday:

• Brazil has played 15 games on Saturday at the FIFA World Cup since 1930 (W8 D4 L3 GF26 GA12).

• Brazil is winless in their last three (3) games played on Saturday at the FIFA World Cup (D1 L2 GF1 GA5).
• 01/07/2006 Brazil 0-1 France (Quarter-finals) [2006 World Cup]
• 28/06/2014 Brazil 1-1 Chile (Round of 16) [2014 World Cup]
• 12/07/2014 Brazil 0-3 Netherlands (Third-place) [2014 World Cup] 

• The only time Brazil faced an African opponent on Saturday at the FIFA World Cup, they won by 3-0.
• 22/06/1974 Zaire 0-3 Brazil (Group Stage) [1974 World Cup]

• Morocco has played 4 games on Saturday at the FIFA World Cup (W1 L3).
• 03/06/1970 West Germany 2-1 Morocco (Group Stage) [1970 World Cup]
• 25/06/1994 Saudi Arabia 2-1 Morocco (Group Stage) [1994 World Cup]
• 10/12/2022 Morocco 1-0 Portugal (Quarter-finals) [2022 World Cup]
• 17/12/2022 Croatia 2-1 Morocco (Third-place) [2022 World Cup]