Brazil Held to 1-1 Draw by Morocco at World Cup

Brazil and Morocco played out a 1-1 draw at MetLife Stadium in one of the more eye-catching group stage matchups of the 2026 World Cup.

Vinicius Junior pulled Brazil level in the 32nd minute after Morocco had taken the lead through Ismael Saibari in the 21st minute. A crowd of 80,663 watched the game, most of them Brazilian fans dressed in yellow.

Morocco got the first goal after a Brazilian mistake in midfield. Lucas Paqueta lost the ball, and it eventually found its way to Brahim Diaz, whose pass split two Brazil defenders. Saibari ran onto it and lobbed goalkeeper Alisson Becker to make it 1-0.

Brazil hit back quickly. Vinicius linked up with Bruno Guimaraes on the left side, created a bit of space for himself, and fired a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. It was his 10th goal for Brazil.

The result keeps both teams level in Group C. Brazil, ranked sixth in the world, and Morocco, ranked seventh, are the only top-10 sides to have been drawn against each other in the first round of the expanded 48-team tournament.

Brazil came into the game without injured star Neymar, who is recovering from a torn right calf and did not feature. Coach Carlo Ancelotti, who became Brazil's first foreign World Cup manager, was on the touchline in a three-piece suit despite temperatures hitting 88 degrees Fahrenheit.

The draw extended Brazil's unbeaten run in World Cup opening games to 21 matches, a streak that stretches back to a loss to Spain in 1934.

Both teams are back in action on Friday. Morocco face Scotland in Foxborough, Massachusetts, while Brazil take on Haiti in Philadelphia.