Brazil were held to a 1-1 draw by Morocco in a thrilling Group C opener at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as Vinícius Júnior’s spectacular equaliser cancelled out an early Morocco lead in front of a packed crowd at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The match lived up to its billing as one of the most anticipated fixtures of the tournament’s opening round, pitting the world’s most successful World Cup nation against the reigning African champions and the only meeting between two top-10 ranked sides in the first round of the expanded 48-team competition.

Morocco, semifinalists at the last World Cup, started the brighter of the two sides, dominating possession and pressing high against a Brazil side that looked uncharacteristically subdued in the early stages.

Their dominance was rewarded in the 21st minute when Ismael Saibari was played through on a clinical counterattack and finished coolly past Brazil’s defence to give Morocco a deserved lead. The goal silenced the predominantly yellow-clad crowd of over 80,000 fans who had packed into the stadium to watch Brazil’s much-anticipated World Cup opener.

Brazil’s response came just eleven minutes later, and it was worth the wait. Vinícius Júnior combined with Bruno Guimarães down the left flank, took a couple of touches to create space, and rifled a right-footed effort beyond the reach of Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou for his tenth international goal. The strike levelled the match and reignited the energy in the stands, restoring belief among Brazilian supporters who had entered the tournament with sky-high expectations of a sixth World Cup title.

The second half saw both sides settle into a more cautious rhythm, with fewer clear-cut chances created. Morocco continued to enjoy spells of possession while Brazil looked to hit on the counter, but neither side could find a breakthrough despite the tension that lingered until the final whistle. Morocco’s Nayef Aguerd had a late chance from distance well saved, while Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker was called into action in stoppage time to deny a powerful effort from Morocco’s Neil El Aynaoui, ensuring the points were shared.

The result extends Brazil’s unbeaten run in World Cup opening matches to 21 games, a streak stretching back to a defeat to Spain in 1934. Brazil were without star forward Neymar, who remains sidetracked by a calf injury, but the Seleção, now coached by Carlo Ancelotti, will have other opportunities to build momentum as they continue Group C play against Haiti and Scotland in their remaining fixtures. Morocco, meanwhile, will look to bounce back when they face Scotland and Haiti in their upcoming matches.