Rabat – Brazil’s national team coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed that he has finalized the squad for the 2026 World Cup and has a clear idea of the starting lineup that will face Morocco in the tournament’s opening match.
The much-anticipated game will take place on June 13, 2026 at the New York/New Jersey Stadium, and will be Morocco’s first match in the group stage, and Brazil’s opener as well.
Brazil’s World Cup preparations included tough friendlies against France and Croatia, each exposing different challenges and giving a clear vision for the team. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Croatia friendly, the Italian coach said: “We’ve assessed players I wasn’t previously familiar with. Today, we have a very clear idea. I already have the starting lineup for the first match (against Morocco) at the World Cup, as well as the final squad.”
“The purpose of the matches against France and Croatia was to test the starting lineup. It isn’t strong enough due to the many injuries. The idea wasn’t to test players in these two matches, but to test the official lineup,” he added.
Looking toward the future on the world stage, the coach remains confident. “We are on the right track and have a very clear idea of what we want to achieve. I’m sure the result matters, but for us, the most important result is that of the first match in the World Cup,” Ancelotti said.
Morocco and Brazil were drawn in Group D for the 2026 FIFA World cup alongside Scotland and Haiti, with Brazil seeking dominance, and Morocco looking to repeat their 2022 success.