Brazil's 24-Year World Cup Drought Meets Morocco as USA's Statement Win Raises the Stakes
A historic USMNT blowout and Canada's gritty first point set the stage for the most loaded group-stage opener of the tournament.
Twenty-four years.
That’s how long Brazil has gone without lifting the World Cup. Five stars on that crest and the newest one is older than half the guys wearing it. By Saturday night, we will see if we will be talking about Brazil in a very different conversation. Because Brazil opens against Morocco, and in all honesty, this might be the most loaded “group stage opener” of the entire tournament.
Here’s the thing about Morocco though. They’re not the cute underdog story anymore. 2022 semifinalists. Only African team to go 8-for-8 in qualifying. Beat Brazil in a friendly back in 2023. Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Díaz aren’t here to lose graciously and get a nice writeup about “growing the game.”
Brazil is favored, sure, -145 on the moneyline, but Neymar is ruled out with a calf injury and that changes the entire shape of how Ancelotti’s group attacks. Vinícius and Raphinha (13 goals, 3 assists in La Liga this season, by the way) carry a lot of weight in this one. If Brazil stumbles here, against this Morocco, on Day 3? The “what’s wrong with this golden generation” pieces write themselves, and we’ll be reading them for two more weeks.
And here’s why the timing makes it worse for Brazil: the tournament just showed everyone what a statement looks like.
USA 4-1 Paraguay. On U.S. soil, first time in three decades. Folarin Balogun scored twice, including a one-on-two finish to end the first half that you need to go watch right now if you haven’t. First USMNT brace at a World Cup since 1930. The guy chose USA over England and Nigeria back in 2023, his family was in the stands, and he just delivered the loudest possible answer to anyone questioning that decision. Gio Reyna capped it with a trivela in stoppage time. 63% possession, 17 shots to 8. That’s not a nervy opener, that’s a team that looked completely at home in a moment that size.
Compare that to Canada, who needed a goal from their bench to even get on the scoreboard. Jovo Lukić put Bosnia ahead off a corner in the first half, and Canada (without Alphonso Davies, their best player) spent most of the match chasing the game. Then Cyle Larin comes on, and 121 seconds, that’s it, 121 seconds later he’s spinning away from a deflected finish that ties it at 1-1. First-ever World Cup point for Canada. First time on home soil. The underlying numbers say they deserved it (1.25 xG to 0.98), but it still took a moment of bench magic to get there.
So that’s the gap we’re talking about heading into the weekend. One co-host looked like a contender from minute one. The other co-host had to dig for a point against a Bosnia side that didn’t even need to start Edin Dzeko. And now Brazil, the most decorated nation in World Cup history, steps into Saturday carrying the weight of a 24-year drought against a team that’s made a habit of embarrassing favorites.
Brazil-Morocco is the headline, but Saturday has layers. Qatar gets a redemption shot against Switzerland after going 0-3 as hosts in 2022, and Switzerland (Granit Xhaka still running the show, Breel Embolo waiting in behind) are the better side on paper but Qatar at a World Cup again is its own story regardless of result. Then Haiti and Scotland close the day, two countries with absurd gaps since their last appearances (1974 for Haiti, 1998 for Scotland) both needing this game to mean something for their group hopes.
And right as Saturday ends, Day 4 sneaks in. Australia vs. Turkey opens Group D at midnight, the same group USA just blew the doors off of. Whoever wins that game already knows what’s waiting for them.
Two days in, and we’ve got a co-host breakthrough, a historic USMNT performance, and now the most storied program in World Cup history staring down its longest trophy drought against a team that genuinely believes it can ruin the party. Saturday’s going to be loud.