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WorldSports3 days ago

News on the 2026 World Cup on Thursday Brazil continues without Neymar Messi's father in hospital

Brazil will play its second World Cup match without Neymar, who is undergoing rehabilitation in New Jersey after a calf injury. Brazil's former coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who led the team to victory at the 1994 World Cup, is currently in intensive care in Rio de Janeiro due to his battle with Hodgkin lymphoma. Meanwhile, Argentina's Lionel Messi had emotional moments during his team's opening win against Algeria, later revealed to be due to concerns over his father Jorge, who is hospitalized in Argentina. The article also mentions that Ivory Coast player Wahi has been allowed to enter加拿大.

The 2026 World Cup will have 13 different kickoff times. You can use the  Al Jazeera Sport widget  to find out exactly when your team is playing in your local time.

Who : Brazil vs Morocco

What :  FIFA World Cup 2026 Group C match

Where : MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

When : Saturday, 6pm local time (22:00 GMT)

How to follow : We’ll have all the build-up on  Al Jazeera Sport from 19:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

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The biggest match of the 2026 World Cup so far will be played on Saturday when record five-time champions Brazil face African giants Morocco in a scintillating Group C fixture.

As the World Cup’s most successful side, Brazil are usually among the favourites for the title, but this time, they are not in the bookmakers’ top picks.

While Carlo Ancelotti’s team is one of the least fancied Brazilian World Cup sides of all time, the squad is still loaded with talent, boasting the likes of Vinicius Jr , Raphinha, and veteran Neymar Jr .

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.

With Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz in their ranks, the Moroccan side is full of promise and firepower, and as history has shown, they are capable of challenging the world’s best.

Al Jazeera tells you all you need to know about Brazil vs Morocco:

Neymar Jr is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals [Dylan Martinez/Reuters] Bruised Brazil begin hunt for sixth world title

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.

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.

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.

“It is a good thing that there are some doubts about the team, because that has been the case on other occasions in the past,” said goalkeeper Alisson, with a nod to Brazil teams at previous tournaments who were not considered favourites but went on to lift the trophy.

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 long decline from untouchable talisman to fitness gamble has added uncertainty to Brazil’s World Cup campaign.

Can Morocco stun Brazil?

Morocco were the great disruptors of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, knocking out Spain and Portugal before losing to France in the semifinals.

The first African and Arab nation to reach the World Cup semis, Morocco arrive at the 2026 tournament tipped to enjoy the best run from the teams in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Built around a generation of players shaped in the academies and leagues of Spain and France, Morocco have enough quality to make Brazil’s opening night uncomfortable.

However, they also arrive amid turbulence of their own.

Morocco began 2026 by losing the Africa Cup of Nations final to Senegal on home soil, only to be ⁠ later awarded the title controversially as their rivals were punished for walking off the ⁠pitch in protest over a penalty.

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.

Brahim Diaz is one of Morocco’s best attacking weapons [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters] Brazil vs Morocco prediction

Stats provider Opta Analyst has given Brazil a 57.7 percent chance of winning against Morocco, who have 18.8 percent odds of victory.

There is a 23.5 percent chance the match ends in a draw.

Overall, Brazil have a 65.85 percent shot at topping Group C, while Morocco has a 23.14 percent chance of the same.

How to watch Brazil vs Morocco?

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.

In Morocco, the match kicks off at 11pm local time and viewers can watch the action live on beIN SPORTS Max 2 and 4.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch it on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, ITV and STV, while…

Read the full article at Al Jazeera English
Source document: Reuters

3 reports

SRF NewsState / PublicCenter3 days ago
News on the 2026 World Cup on Thursday Brazil continues without Neymar Messi's father in hospital

Brazil will play its second World Cup match without Neymar, who is undergoing rehabilitation in New Jersey after a calf injury. Brazil's former coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, who led the team to victory at the 1994 World Cup, is currently in intensive care in Rio de Janeiro due to his battle with Hodgkin lymphoma. Meanwhile, Argentina's Lionel Messi had emotional moments during his team's opening win against Algeria, later revealed to be due to concerns over his father Jorge, who is hospitalized in Argentina. The article also mentions that Ivory Coast player Wahi has been allowed to enter加拿大.

Bias read (Center): The article provides factual updates on sports-related events including player injuries, health issues of notable figures, and travel restrictions. There is no evident ideological framing, biased language, or selective sourcing that would indicate a political lean.

Official sources cited

The PunchIndependentCenter3 days ago
World Cup: Brazil president jokes about thinking of ‘signing Messi’

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva joked about considering signing Lionel Messi to play for Brazil during an interview about the team's performance in the World Cup. Brazil drew 1-1 with Morocco in their opening match, while Argentina, led by Messi, performed strongly. Lula downplayed the significance of the draw, noting that Brazil often performs well under pressure. The article also mentions other World Cup-related events, including England's victory over Croatia and DR Congo's draw with Portugal.

Bias read (Center): The article reports on a lighthearted comment made by Brazil's president regarding Lionel Messi and does not present any overtly biased language, sourcing, or framing. It provides factual information about the World Cup matches and includes additional related news without taking a stance on any of 1

Al Jazeera EnglishState / PublicCenter8 days ago
Brazil vs Morocco World Cup team news: Neymar, start time and how to watch

Brazil, the five-time world champions, will face Morocco in their opening match of the 2026 World Cup campaign.

Bias read (Center): The article discusses a sports event with no political implications or controversy. The content is purely informational about the teams and the match schedule.

Go to the primary sources (1)

The official sources this coverage is built on. Read them directly to bypass framing.