Brazil and Morocco ended in a 1-1 draw in their opening World Cup match at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, June 13, sharing points in the only group stage matchup between two top-10 teams. Ismael Saibari scored an early goal for Morocco. Vinicius Jr. responded with a curling finish in the 32nd minute. Bono thwarted Igor Thiago’s attack for the rest of the game and brushed aside a succession of late chances to keep Atlas Lions level with the five-time champions.
The draw leaves a large gap in Group C. Morocco will play Scotland on Friday June 19th near Boston. Brazil, without Neymar due to a calf injury, will play Haiti that night in Philadelphia.
Group play for both teams ends on June 24th.
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Vini Jr.’s hit sent MetLife Stadium into a frenzy. Fans were celebrating in every row, seat… even suite, including influencer Victoria Brito, a Brazil fan (and goddaughter of the legendary Pepe) with over 2 million followers on Instagram. After celebrating, she posed for a photo with fellow Canarinho fan and actor and director Keegan-Michael Key, who was in the suite next to her.
Another celebrity was also spotted mingling with fans and celebrities on the suite level. Former NFL star Chad Ochocinco watches a game at MetLife Stadium. Having an avid soccer plan, he played even while growing up until he finally decided to play soccer. – Ralphie Aversa
Rapper Travis Scott is in the building. A chart-topping artist was caught on camera in the crowd at MetLife Stadium during Brazil’s World Cup opener against Morocco, adding to the excitement on a celebrity-packed night that already included Tom Brady and New York City Mayor Zoran Mandani. This is the featured match of the tournament’s opening weekend, and we’ve assembled a guest list accordingly.
Mamdani’s spokesperson said the mayor plans to attend several games. He seemed to be in a FIFA sponsor’s suite.
“Given the unique nature of the World Cup and the once-in-a-generation opportunity for New York City to be the host city, the Mayor will be present at select matches at the New York-New Jersey Stadium in an official capacity carrying out his official duties as the host city’s chief executive. This is a contractual obligation between the New York-New Jersey 2026 World Cup Organizing Committee and FIFA, which the City and the Mayor are fulfilling.”
Halftime: Brazil 1, Morocco 1
An intense end-to-end opening 45 minutes ended in a draw against MetLife. Morocco came out as attackers and sealed the victory in the 21st minute when Brahim Díaz played a perfect ball through the Brazilian defense and Ismael Saibari lofted the ball over the onrushing Alisson. Brazil needed a moment of magic to get back on track, and Vinicius Jr. delivered. In the 32nd minute, he drifted in from the left, cut in with his right foot and curled a shot past Bono and into the top corner. This was his 10th goal in 50 appearances for the Brazilian national team.
There are two things to keep in mind after reopening. Brazil were walking a tightrope in midfield and Casemiro and Roger Ibanez were fouled trying to smooth out Morocco’s counterattack. If either side makes another reckless challenge, Brazil could be in trouble.
The crowd got even more excited after Vini Jr.’s tying goal. Three teams are represented here: Brazil, Morocco, and the New York Knicks. Many fans have been seen wearing Knicks gear and are already (hopefully) making plans to leave MetLife Stadium soon to join the watch party. That includes New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani, who is sitting next to New York Governor Kathy Hochul. – Ralphie Aversa
Goals: Morocco 1, Brazil 1. Vinicius Jr. reached the Brazilian level. The Real Madrid star scored the equalizer in the 32nd minute. The combination of Rafinha and Vini Junior left him alone on the left side of the box, he cut inside with his right foot and fired a stunning shot into the top corner of the goal. The goal was to cancel out Ismael Saibari’s opening goal and get Brazil back into the game. Morocco took the lead from the beginning. It was a necessary moment for Brazil.
Goals: Morocco 1, Brazil 0. Ismael Saibari surprised Brazil. The striker darted through the defense on a perfect punt from Brahim Dias, broke through and lifted the finishing kick over the onrushing Alisson. 21 minutes.
Fox cameras spotted Tom Brady hugging Neymar near the field before Saturday’s kickoff. Brady is more than just a celebrity here. The seven-time Super Bowl winner is a minority owner of English club Birmingham City. As for Neymar, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer will not play tonight due to a calf injury, but he will be in the squad.
Yasin Bounow. Achraf Hakimi (captain), Issa Diop, Chadi Riyad, Nousser Mazraoui. Nir El Ainaoui, Ayyoub, Bouadi. Brahim Diaz, Azzedine Ounahi, Bilal El Cannous. Ismael Saibari
Seth Bartelny: Brazil 1-1 Morocco
Brazil are not as strong as they have been in recent years, while Morocco are still showing strength despite a recent change of manager. A close battle with no winner is expected.
John Arnold: Brazil 1-1 Morocco
This group could get interesting, especially if Brazil’s offense gets off to a slow start as I expected. There are some top names and great players there, but Morocco are the type of team that can surprise Brazil and score their own goals.
Jesse Yomtov: Brazil 2 – 1 Morocco
Brazil finds a way out in the fierce battle at the Meadowlands.
Victoria Hernandez: Brazil 3 – 1 Morocco
Morocco is scoring like no one else and hasn’t lost a game since August, but Brazil is a strong team that can easily take second place.
Saturday’s game at MetLife Stadium will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — For Lia Bonadio, a Brazilian living in Mexico City, today’s game between Brazil and Morocco is her Super Bowl. She even brought a sign to indicate that. “3-1!” she exclaimed when asked what she expected from today’s match. The crowd here at MetLife Stadium is primarily rooting for Canarinho. What Bonadio didn’t expect was how difficult it would be to get to MetLife Stadium from New York City. “It was complicated,” she says. “Nobody knew how to give us information.” Bonadio tried to catch the New Jersey Transit Authority from Penn Station and paid a $98 round-trip ticket. Instead, she was directed to the PATH train a block away from Penn, arriving in Hoboken, New Jersey. From there, New Jersey Department of Transportation personnel helped her get to MetLife Stadium. “I wasn’t expecting that,” she continues. “It was very confusing.” Bonadio traveled from Mexico City to New York for the match. It’s her first World Cup match. And while she didn’t expect the complicated route to the stadium, she still expected Brazil to win.
– Ralphie Aversa
Check out USA TODAY Sports’ live group standings, stats and latest standings here.
The 48 participating countries will be divided into 12 groups of four. Each group plays in a round-robin format, with 3 points awarded for a win and 1 point for a tie. The top two teams in each group advance to the Round of 32 along with the top eight third-place teams. Tiebreakers for group standings will be resolved using the following criteria:
- Most points earned in group matches between the teams
- Advantage in goal difference between the teams in group matches
- Most points scored in all group matches between the teams
- The difference in goals and losses is large in all group stage matches.
- Most points scored in all group league matches
- Highest team behavior score (players and team officials) related to number of yellow and red cards obtained
- Two or more teams tied on points will be ranked according to the latest edition of the FIFA Men’s World Rankings.
