{"id":636955,"date":"2026-06-13T17:20:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T17:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/636955\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T17:20:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T17:20:31","slug":"brazil-vs-morocco-world-cup-team-news-neymar-start-time-and-how-to-watch-football-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/636955\/","title":{"rendered":"Brazil vs Morocco World Cup team news: Neymar, start time and how to watch | Football News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 2026 World Cup will have 13 different kickoff times. You can use the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/6\/8\/what-time-are-world-cup-2026-matches-in-my-time-zone\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Al Jazeera Sport widget<\/a>\u00a0to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time.<\/p>\n<p>Who: Brazil vs Morocco<br \/>What:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/fifa-world-cup-2026\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">FIFA World Cup 2026<\/a> Group C match<br \/>Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey<br \/>When: Saturday, 6pm local time (22:00 GMT)<br \/>How to follow:\u00a0We\u2019ll have all the build-up on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Al Jazeera Sport<\/a> from 19:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.<\/p>\n<p>Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list<\/p>\n<p>The biggest match of the 2026 World Cup so far will be played on Saturday when record five-time champions <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/6\/13\/fifa-world-cup-day-3-brazil-vs-morocco-prediction-schedule-what-to-know\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brazil<\/a> face African giants Morocco in a scintillating Group C fixture.<\/p>\n<p>As the World Cup\u2019s most successful side, Brazil are usually among the favourites for the title, but this time, they are not in the bookmakers\u2019 top picks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__subhead\">While Carlo Ancelotti\u2019s team is one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/5\/28\/brazils-world-cup-2026-team-preview-players-to-watch-group-matches-squad\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">least fancied Brazilian World Cup sides<\/a> of all time, the squad is still loaded with talent, boasting the likes of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/6\/7\/who-are-the-best-star-players-to-watch-at-fifa-world-cup-2026\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Vinicius Jr<\/a>, Raphinha, and veteran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/5\/19\/fifa-world-cup-2026-all-to-know-about-neymar-surprise-brazil-selection-ancelotti\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Neymar Jr<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike other teams, who open their campaign against more modest oppositions, Brazil have a rough start, facing the reigning African champions Morocco in what is expected to be their sternest group test.<\/p>\n<p>With Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz in their ranks, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/6\/3\/morocco-world-cup-2026-preview-players-to-watch-group-and-squad-list\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Moroccan side<\/a> is full of promise and firepower, and as history has shown, they are capable of challenging the world\u2019s best.<\/p>\n<p>Al Jazeera tells you all you need to know about Brazil vs Morocco:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4625831\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-01T125103Z_175478309_RC2G2Y9OOFTI_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-GROUPC-BRAZIL-NEYMAR-1780559609..jpeg\" alt=\"FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Quarter Final - Croatia v Brazil - Education City Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 9, 2022 Brazil's Neymar celebrates scoring their first goal with Marquinhos REUTERS\/Dylan Martinez\/File Photo\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>Neymar Jr is Brazil\u2019s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals [Dylan Martinez\/Reuters]Bruised Brazil begin hunt for sixth world title<\/p>\n<p>With a new coach at the helm, a string of injuries and a chaotic qualifying campaign, Brazil have had far from a perfect run-up to the World Cup 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Chasing a long-awaited record-extending sixth World Cup trophy, Ancelotti knows he has a big task on his hands to turn around the fortunes of a Brazilian team which suffered quarterfinal exits in four of the last five tournaments.<\/p>\n<p>Brazil never slip quietly into a World Cup, but expectations are unusually restrained. It has been 24 years since they were last crowned world champions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is a good thing that there are some doubts about the team, because that has been the case on other occasions in the past,\u201d said goalkeeper Alisson, with a nod to Brazil teams at previous tournaments who were not considered favourites but went on to lift the trophy.<\/p>\n<p>Brazil have a star-studded squad, starting with Marquinhos and Gabriel Magalhaes at the back, Vinicius Jr and Raphinha on the wings, and Matheus Cunha up top. Neymar is also back in the squad after a two and a half year absence, but his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/5\/19\/fifa-world-cup-2026-all-to-know-about-neymar-surprise-brazil-selection-ancelotti\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">long decline<\/a> from untouchable talisman to fitness gamble has added uncertainty to Brazil\u2019s World Cup campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Can Morocco stun Brazil?<\/p>\n<p>Morocco were the great disruptors of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, knocking out Spain and Portugal before losing to France in the semifinals.<\/p>\n<p>The first African and Arab nation to reach the World Cup semis, Morocco arrive at the 2026 tournament <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/6\/9\/ranking-the-middle-east-and-north-african-teams-at-world-cup-2026\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">tipped<\/a> to enjoy the best run from the teams in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.<\/p>\n<p>Built around a generation of players shaped in the academies and leagues of Spain and France, Morocco have enough quality to make Brazil\u2019s opening night uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>However, they also arrive amid turbulence of their own.<\/p>\n<p>Morocco began 2026 by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/1\/18\/senegal-beat-hosts-morocco-to-win-afcon-2025-after-farcical-walk-off\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">losing<\/a> the Africa Cup of Nations final to Senegal on home soil, only to be \u2060<a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/3\/18\/how-senegals-afcon-win-was-awarded-to-morocco-and-what-next-all-to-know\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">later awarded<\/a> the title controversially as their rivals were punished for walking off the \u2060pitch in protest over a penalty.<\/p>\n<p>Long-serving coach Walid Regragui quit three months before the World Cup and was replaced by Belgian-born Mohamed Ouahbi, promoted from the youth set-up after guiding Morocco to the under-20 World Cup title in Chile last year.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4617722\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/reuters_6a1d7ee7-1780317927.jpg\" alt=\"Soccer Football - CAF Africa Cup of Nations - Morocco 2025 - Round of 16 - Morocco v Tanzania - Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco - January 4, 2026 Morocco's Brahim Diaz celebrates with the man of the match trophy after the match REUTERS\/Amr Abdallah Dalsh\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>Brahim Diaz is one of Morocco\u2019s best attacking weapons [Amr Abdallah Dalsh\/Reuters]Brazil vs Morocco prediction<\/p>\n<p>Stats provider Opta Analyst has given Brazil a 57.7 percent chance of winning against Morocco, who have 18.8 percent odds of victory.<\/p>\n<p>There is a 23.5 percent chance the match ends in a draw.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, Brazil have a 65.85 percent shot at topping Group C, while Morocco has a 23.14 percent chance of the same.<\/p>\n<p>How to watch Brazil vs Morocco?<\/p>\n<p>Fans in Brazil can watch the match on SBT, GETV, Globoplay, sportv, NSPORTS, Caze TV and TV Globo. Kickoff is at 7pm local time in Rio de Janeiro.<\/p>\n<p>In Morocco, the match kicks off at 11pm local time and viewers can watch the action live on beIN SPORTS Max 2 and 4.<\/p>\n<p>Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch it on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, ITV and STV, while in the United States, fans can tune into FOX, Telemundo App and Network, FOX One and Peacock.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>How does the World Cup group stage work?<\/p>\n<p>Brazil, Morocco, Haiti and Scotland are in Group C.<\/p>\n<p>The top two teams from each of the 12 groups \u2013 along with the eight best third-placed teams \u2013 proceed to the next phase, the round of 32, which has been introduced at the World Cup for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>Form guide:<\/p>\n<p>(Last five games, latest first)<\/p>\n<p>Brazil: W-W-W-L-D<\/p>\n<p>Morocco: D-W-W-W-D<\/p>\n<p>Morocco have a better record than Brazil in the last five games, drawing with Norway and thrashing Madagascar in June friendlies. Before that, they thumped Burundi in May, and beat Panama and drew with Ecuador in March.<\/p>\n<p>Brazil registered victories over Egypt and Panama in pre-World Cup friendlies and beat Croatia in March. But they lost to France in March and drew with Tunisia in November last year.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4650684\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2026-06-01T125128Z_347039187_RC2MBHAKD3VR_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-WORLDCUP-GROUPC-BRAZIL-1781264347.jpg\" alt=\"FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - International Friendly - Japan v Brazil - Tokyo Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - October 14, 2025 Brazil players pose for a team group photo before the match REUTERS\/Kim Kyung-Hoon\/File Photo\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>Brazil believe not being among the favourites will work in their favour [Kim Kyung-Hoon\/Reuters]Brazil lead Morocco in head-to-head record<\/p>\n<p>Saturday\u2019s meeting will be the fourth time Brazil face Morocco. Brazil have two wins, while Morocco have one \u2013 their latest meeting in 2023, a friendly, which the Atlas Lions won 2-1.<\/p>\n<p>The last time Brazil played Morocco at a World Cup was in 1998 \u2013 also in a group game \u2013 as Brazil won 3-0, thanks to goals from Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Bebeto.<\/p>\n<p>Neymar ruled out for Brazil, Morocco lose Ezzalzouli and Aguerd<\/p>\n<p>Rodrygo, Estevao, Eder \u2060Militao and Wesley \u2013 all potential starters for Brazil \u2013 are not in the squad due to injuries, while Neymar has been ruled out of the match against Morocco as he continues to recover from a calf injury. When he may return, and in what condition, remains uncertain.<\/p>\n<p>Injuries have added to the disruption within Morocco\u2019s squad, too, with Nayef Aguerd and Abde Ezzalzouli cut from the squad after being hurt in Morocco\u2019s final friendly. Amine Sbai and Marwane Saadane have been named as their replacements.<\/p>\n<p>Brazil predicted XI<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4650643\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/opta-graphics-manual-formation-1x1-449e4d09-bf0d-4c8e-912e-6c4825ddb5d8-1781263569.png\" alt=\"Al Jazeera's predicted XI for Brazil's first World Cup 2026 match against Morocco [Opta]\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Morocco predicted XI<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4650657\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/opta-graphics-manual-formation-1x1-f735f550-88f8-4f71-b795-f81620018798-1781263923.png\" alt=\"Al Jazeera's predicted XI for Morocco's first World Cup 2026 match against Brazil [Opta]\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 World Cup will have 13 different kickoff times. You can use the\u00a0Al Jazeera Sport widget\u00a0to find&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9548,218,49,8911,632,16244,50,217,51,47,52,48,158,3544,58033],"class_list":["post-636955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-brazil","tag-football","tag-headlines","tag-latin-america","tag-middle-east","tag-morocco","tag-news","tag-sport","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-united-states","tag-us-canada","tag-world-cup-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}