Brazil opened its 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Morocco at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday, a performance that left thousands of yellow-clad fans grumbling on the trains back to Manhattan and put manager Carlo Ancelotti on the defensive within an hour of the final whistle. The result, paired with Friday night's 4-1 U.S. win over Paraguay in Inglewood, Calif., set the tone for the opening weekend of the expanded 48-team tournament being staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The early returns suggest the field is flatter than the seedings implied. Five-time champion Brazil was outrun for stretches by an Atlas Lions side that reached the semifinals in Qatar. Scotland edged Haiti 1-0 in Boston, and the U.S. men, who arrived under modest expectations, scored four times in their opener. With 104 matches over five weeks, the group stage is shaping up as the most consequential opening round in a generation.

At MetLife

Morocco struck first in the 21st minute when Brahim Diaz threaded a pass through two Brazilian defenders to Ismael Saibari, who chipped goalkeeper Alisson Becker on his first touch. Brazil looked, in NBC News's account, hesitant and on the back foot until Vinicius Junior cut inside from the left side of the area, beat one defender and hammered a right-footed shot past Morocco keeper Yassine Bounou to level the match. Midfielder Casemiro was withdrawn at halftime after a difficult opening 45 minutes in the New Jersey heat, and Raphinha squandered Brazil's clearest second-half chance by shooting on the first touch into Bounou's arms.

Brazil under Ancelotti

Ancelotti, who took the Brazil job in 2025 after winning trophies at Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, faced a pointed Brazilian press corps after the match. "You don't win a World Cup based on your first match," he said through a FIFA interpreter. He acknowledged the team had been "a bit anxious" and conceded that "nerves were all over the place" in the opening half. Asked whether his confidence in the squad remained intact, he answered, "We're absolutely confident." Brazil's all-time leading scorer Neymar, recalled to the squad despite not playing for the national team since 2023, watched from the bench while recovering from a calf injury.

What's next

Day 4 on Sunday brings the tournament's first marquee group game, as the Netherlands face Japan at AT&T Stadium in Dallas at 2 p.m. local time. "We put a lot of pressure on ourselves," Dutch manager Ronald Koeman told reporters, calling Japan "a difficult game." Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu, who guided his side past Germany and Spain in 2022, said his team "have to survive this stage no matter what" in a group where "the top of the top talent is found in the Netherlands team." Opta's model gives the Dutch a 50.2 percent win probability.

Curacao, an island of just over 150,000 people, becomes the smallest nation ever to play in a World Cup when it faces Germany at NRG Stadium in Houston. The Caribbean side's coach, Dick Advocaat, 78, will simultaneously become the oldest manager in tournament history. "We are a small country compared to Germany, but we will make life difficult for them and be a tough team to play," Advocaat said. "We have nothing to lose." Opta gives Curacao a 3.6 percent chance of an upset.

For the U.S. men, captain Tim Ream framed the stakes in scale rather than sport. "Imagine, with this World Cup, a Super Bowl every single day for five weeks," Ream told CBS News. "It's not an accident that 5 billion people will be watching." The Americans next face Australia in Seattle on June 19.

Wire-service match reports from the Associated Press and Reuters were not available at press time; the coverage above draws on Al Jazeera, NBC News and CBS News, and the framing reflects those outlets' read of the weekend rather than an independent wire baseline.

Group C now turns on a Scotland side that sits atop the table after its 1-0 win over Haiti, with the Tartan Army eyeing a first knockout-round appearance in its history. Brazil and Morocco meet their next group opponents Wednesday.