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Carlo Ancelotti gets his first taste of World Cup football as a manger, when his Brazil face Morocco in Group C.
World Cup 2026's first A-list clash sees the five-time champions face 2022's fourth-placed team, and this one could genuinely go either way.
Do Ancelotti's Brazil have enough to put a poor qualification campaign behind them, or will AFCON champions Morocco pull off a major shock?
Brazil vs Morocco prediction
Last time these two met in a group stage of a World Cup, Brazil went all the way to the final – oh, and Scotland were in the group, too, just as they are this year.
Things are very different now, nearly three decades on: Brazil are a shadow of that legendary side that boasted the likes of Cafu, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo, while Morocco became the first African side to reach the semi-finals in Qatar four years ago.
Brazil had a tumultuous time trying to get to North America in the first place, and the pressure is on the likes of Vinicius Jr and Raphinha to step up at international level.
Morocco, meanwhile, are perhaps even stronger than they were last time around: Ayyoub Bouaddi is a superb young midfielder who has defected from France's youth sides, while Bilal El Khannous is a promising playmaker, too.
This one should be closer than it looks – and a battle between Vinicius and Achraf Hakimi will be a mouthwatering match-up.
The game may well be won in midfield, however: Casemiro has had an excellent season, and with Bruno Guimaraes alongside him, there will be plenty of bite in the centre of the park for the Selecao.
Given that these two are the stronger nations in their group, both of them would probably be satisfied enough with a draw from this one, with Haiti the weakest side they'll both face.
A draw in this, and both will fancy their chances to rack up high scores in their remaining two games: don't expect either of them to expend too much energy to go out for the win.
- Score prediction: Brazil 1-1 Morocco
