Carlo Ancelotti Leads Brazil World Cup Start Against Morocco at MetLife
Brazil world cup starts Saturday against Morocco at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with Carlo Ancelotti in charge. Brazil is trying to end a 24-year wait for a World Cup title, and the opener launches that push with Neymar back in the squad after almost three years away from his most recent cap.
MetLife Stadium and Morocco
Brazil will walk into its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a setup built around Ancelotti, a coach expected to handle a dressing room full of established names. Morocco is the opponent, and the setting is fixed: Saturday at MetLife Stadium.
That opening game carries more weight because Brazil has not won a World Cup in 24 years. The team is not just restarting a tournament run; it is doing it under a new coach while carrying the burden of a long title drought.
Ancelotti’s Brazil dressing room
Paul Clement described the atmosphere in Brazil’s dressing room as “obviously Brazilian,” and said the group has prayer before and after games. He added that the prayer comes after a few words from the captain, a senior player, the head coach or the director of the federation.
He also pointed to the structure around the squad. “The spine of the squad is very strong,” Clement said, naming Alisson, Marquinhos, Gabriel, Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes and Paqueta. He said the attacking positions include Raphinha, Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Martinelli, Matheus Cunha and Neymar.
Neymar and Brazil’s core
Brazil’s leadership group includes Marquinhos, Alisson, Casemiro and Danilo. That hierarchy matters because Ancelotti is not starting from scratch; he is working with players who already sit at the center of the team’s structure.
Neymar’s return adds another layer. Ancelotti called him into the World Cup squad almost three years after he won the most recent of his 128 caps, and the 34-year-old is still battling a calf injury. Brazil now opens the tournament with its coach, its leadership group and its most recognizable forward all in the same frame, with the first test arriving against Morocco on Saturday.
