The 2026 FIFA World Cup is off and running, and Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil will have to hit the ground running with one of the group stages biggest match ups. Playing on June 13, the Selecao will face a tough Moroccan squad on Matchday 1 of Group C play. The match will be played in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the New York/New Jersey Stadium and will kick off at 6pm ET.
Though Brazil will enter the match as the favorite, Morocco are one of the most dangerous teams in their group and will be looking to build on their historical success as the first African team to reach the semifinals at the World Cup in 2022.
Brazil's preparations have been massively impacted by the loss of their most dynamic attacker. With Neymar dealing with an unfortunate injury, Ancelotti has been forced to rethink his entire tactical setup in order to break down Morocco's notoriously tough defensive block. The entire feel of the Brazilian attack will now fall on the shoulders of FC Barcelona winger, Raphinha.
Tactical consideration: the Neymar void
Brazil's undisputed creative hub throughout recent history, Neymar typically plays with full freedom to drop into pockets of space between the lines, draw fouls, and play defense splitting passes. With him absent from the center of the pitch, Brazil simply cannot afford to have a single player dictate the rhythm of the attack.
Instead, the Selecao will need to adjust to a far more direct and wing heavy attack. Morocco thrives when they have the defensive structure to create quick counter attacks and so Brazil can afford absolutely zero turnovers in the central channels. They will have to stretch the field and utilize the wide players in an attack-driving fashion.
Barcelona star Raphinha's pivotal role on the right
The direct and wing heavy attack automatically falls upon the shoulders of Barcelona winger, Raphinha.
Raphinha is a different type of creator compared to Neymar. Instead of a slow, methodical build up playing through the middle and probing for complex passing combinations, the Barcelona star offers a more direct and pragmatic way of dismantling the Moroccan block with his relentless high-pressing and direct running.
It will be up to the Blaugrana man to be dynamic down the right, providing dangerous crosses from the right side, and tracking back hard on defense to stop Morocco's pacey counter-attacks.
Raphinha is a player who has demonstrated he can be the main man when needed at Barcelona even when things aren't clicking. He'll have to do the exact same thing here tonight in front of the roaring New Jersey crowd.
Rebuild of the attack: Vinicius' partnership
While Raphinha is essential to the attack, he is only half the story. The Brazilian's ability to link up with Vincius Junior on the other side of the pitch will ultimately determine the success of Brazil's attack.
Without Neymar, opposition defenses will undoubtedly double-team Vinicius down the left. This is where Raphinha's position on the right becomes extremely important. If the Blaugrana man is playing with enough width on the right, he will draw his man out of position which will free up the Real Madrid man. Raphinha's ability to beat his man or threaten the far post with his service will isolate Vincius on the left.
This new attack built by Ancelotti relies on the two wingers working in tandem-when one attacks the box, the other will need to create space.
Next steps for Brazil
Losing a player of Neymar's caliber days before their first World Cup match is obviously difficult for any national team, but Brazil has immense talent depth and Ancelotti has the tools in order to win this one.
If Raphinha can bring his style of play and perfectly balance the enormous threat of Vincius Junior, Brazil should be able to break down a very compact Moroccan team and get their World Cup campaign off to the races.
Add us as a preferred source on Google