Morocco will carry the hopes of an entire continent onto the MetLife Stadium pitch on Saturday night when they face Brazil in a Group C opener that ranks among the most compelling fixtures of the 2026 FIFA World Cup's first round.
The Atlas Lions arrive in the New York metropolitan area four years after making history as the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final. Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has made clear that the Qatar campaign was not a high-water mark but a launching pad.
Ouahbi's belief in his squad
Despite the injury-enforced absences of Abde Ezzalzouli and Nayef Aguerd, Ouahbi insists the mood in camp is overwhelmingly positive. Replacements Marouane Saâdane and Amine Sebbar have been integrated into the group following Friday's final training session at Pingry School in New Jersey, where the technical staff concentrated on tactical shape, pressing, and building from deep.
