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Head coach says 2022 semi-finalists are now even betterScotland could deploy back three against Group C rivalsSteve Clarke has warned Scotland the Morocco team they will face on Friday are superior to the one who reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2022.Scotland kicked off their tournament with a 1-0 win over Haiti, which came hours after Morocco impressed during a 1-1 draw with Brazil. Clarke answered with a firm “absolutely” when asked whether Morocco will pose as stern a threat as Brazil to his side in Group C.“We are under no illusion about the size of the task,” said Clarke. “I feel Morocco are a really, really good side. They reached the last four of the last World Cup and I have a feeling this Morocco team is slightly better than that, so that gives you an idea of the task ahead. They have power, they have pace, they have little bits of skill that can open up a game. For me they are the real deal, a top side. We will have to be at our very best to compete.“It is a big challenge for us. We give them a lot of respect. We expect they will probably have more of the ball, more possession. We have to make sure that when we have the ball we can be a threat to Morocco.”Clarke deployed a back three for the friendly against Côte d’Ivoire in March, which may serve as a clue to his plan or Morocco. It is a near certainty that Scotland will not lineup in the 4-4-2 formation used against Haiti. “Every system that we have ever played, we have put a lot of work into,” Clarke said. “I have shown over my time as head coach that we can play different systems. It is something that we have always wanted to expand on, more systems, different personnel for different games.“Sometimes the Scottish psyche and mentality is that we are a little more comfortable when we are the underdog. We were the favourites against Haiti and found the game a struggle, but we managed to win. This time we are the underdogs and sometimes Scotland prefer it that way.”Barring an utterly bizarre series of results, a point should be enough to earn Scotland a tournament knockout berth for the first time ever. They could progress on three points, which brings protection of goal difference into the conversation. It is one, however, Clarke is happy to ignore. “You just have to play the game,” said the 62-year-old. “The first thing is to try and win, if you can’t win then don’t lose. Permutations and whatever else is for you guys [the media] and all the punters to think about, not for us.“The players feel good about themselves. They wanted to win a game at a major tournament and have done that. Now they want the next step, which is to get what we need out of the next two games to make a little bit of history for Scotland. The training was electric today. We feel good.”Clarke made time during pre-match media duties to offer words of support to the family of Donnie Strathie. The 76-year-old had travelled to Boston as a Scotland fan but died in the aftermath of the Haiti game. “In among all the good news that has come out the World Cup for Scotland, that is obviously very sad for his family; his daughters, his grandchildren,” said Clarke. “My thoughts and condolences are with his family.”

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Lille midfielder excelled against Brazil but it was no surprise to his national coach after a key role in convincing him to turn down France’s overturesThe name Ayyoub Bouaddi was on everyone’s lips after Brazil’s draw against Morocco on Saturday night. Even the army of concerned South American journalists firing questions at Vinícius Júnior at the MetLife Stadium had to acknowledge that the Real Madrid forward had been fortunate to be named as man of the match despite scoring a superb equaliser to rescue a point for Carlo Ancelotti’s side in their opening game of the 2026 World Cup.Instead it was the imposing figure with a distinctive mop of hair in Morocco’s central midfield who stole the show on his first competitive international appearance. Bouaddi managed the most touches (88), won the most duels (11) and completed the most successful passes in the opposition’s half (30), finishing with a passing success rate of 93% as he dominated Casemiro – a player almost twice his age and with a vastly different career trajectory. It came as no surprise to his coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, after he played a crucial role in convincing Bouaddi, who made his debut for Lille in March 2023 three days after his 16th birthday, to turn down France’s overtures just before this tournament.“He didn’t impress me because we already know what a player he is,” Ouahbi said. “I’m not the guy to be afraid of playing youngsters. We were sure and certain that he’d have a big match, and so it wasn’t a risk at all – it wasn’t the kind of match for taking risks against Brazil.”He added: “We had a lot of meetings with him to get him to choose Morocco, and he was good. He already has a lot of experience in Ligue 1. It’s not just about his age; he has already played more matches than others [older than him], more matches in the Champions League. There was also the masterclass against Real Madrid and so he may only be 18 but he already has a lot of experience.”Ouahbi was referring to Bouaddi’s performance in a 1-0 victory against Ancelotti’s Madrid in October 2024 on the day he turned 17, which ended with Lille’s supporters singing happy birthday to him on the pitch. That ensured that every big club in Europe has been tracking his progress since, with Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich thought to have registered an interest in a player believed to be valued at about £70m by Lille.“Let’s keep this mindset, it’s only the beginning,” Bouaddi said on social media after the Brazil game. A photograph of him attending a Morocco match as a 10-year-old at the 2018 World Cup was also doing the rounds as the internet swooned. “He’s a great player,” said Morroco’s Sunderland winger Chemsdine Talbi. “He came to help us and we’re really happy to have him on the team.”Bouaddi was born and raised in Creil in the Oise department, where his father, Hassan, used to be deputy mayor, and played for AFC Creil until he joined Lille’s academy at 13. Not long before his historic debut in the Conference League that made him the youngest player to play in a European club competition game, he won a public speaking contest for players enrolled at professional academies in France at the Élysée Palace that was attended by Brigitte Macron. Bouaddi is studying for a degree in mathematics and physics “to make the most of my free time”. “That’s how I was raised,” he said. “It helps keep your mind sharp.”The future looks bright for him and Morocco under Ouahbi, who is in his first senior role as manager after winning the Under-20 World Cup last year. The midfield that finished the game against Brazil had an average age of 20.6, with Roma’s Neil El Aynaoui – the son of the retired tennis player Younès – and Samir El Mourabet of Strasbourg also impressing against a Brazil side that looked laboured by comparison.Casemiro’s partnership with Bruno Guimarães will probably not be seen again and although Fabinho added some stability when he came on in the second half, the 32-year-old’s best days are behind him. Brazil’s starting XI had the highest average age for a game since 2006, although Vinícius rejected the suggestion that they were calling out for an injection of youth in the engine room.“I don’t believe that,” he said. “I think we have to adapt to the players we have here, young players, more experienced players, adapt to each other, help us, because it will make all the difference for us. Experience matters a lot in this competition, and the young guys like me and other players who are here, we will have to do everything for our group to achieve great results in the competition.”

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So it turns out that Carlo Ancelotti is no miracle worker. After watching his side fall behind to Ismael Saibari’s brilliant opening goal, the Brazil manager needed a big favour from Vinícius Júnior to ensure the five-time World Cup winners’ first match of the 2026 edition did not end in an embarrassing defeat.For large portions of an absorbing first half that hopefully set the tone for the rest of the tournament, Brazil found themselves chasing shadows as Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães struggled to contain a Morocco midfield anchored by the outstanding teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi. But after Times Square was transformed into a tapestry of yellow and red shirts on Friday night as both sets of fans warmed up for one of the most anticipated matches of the group stages, it was the Real Madrid forward who has been heavily criticised for failing to produce his club form on the international stage who gave the Brazil supporters something to celebrate.It was only the 25-year-old’s 10th goal for the Seleção on his 50th appearance and with Neymar still sidelined with a calf injury after his surprise recall, Ancelotti will know that any chance of winning a sixth title will rely on him. While they still possess undoubted quality, Brazil are badly lacking in some positions. Morocco – who became the first African side to reach the semi-finals in 2022 and look capable of going deep into the tournament again – were ruthless in exploiting those weaknesses and they almost won it at the death after a mistake from Alisson. Brazil at least improved in the second half after a few tactical tweaks from Ancelotti, although the Italian clearly has plenty of work to do if his team are to be real contenders.Mohamed Ouahbi was appointed to replace Walid Regragui as Morocco head coach in March after winning the Under-20 World Cup last year and he promised more of the same from his side after their success in Qatar. Bouaddi was handed only his fourth senior cap in midfield only a few weeks after opting to play for the Atlas Lions over France and looks set to be a star of the future after an assured display way beyond his 18 years.Astonishingly, more than 90 players have been called up by Brazil since they were knocked out of the last World Cup in Qatar, even if Ancelotti has been much more consistent in his selection since taking over last year. But his decision to deploy Roger Ibañez at right-back raised a few eyebrows given the 27-year-old usually plays in central defence and there was no doubt that Morocco targeted the Al Ahly player from the start.Noussair Mazraoui carved his way through from left-back and Neil El Aynaoui’s shot was blocked as they wasted no time going on the attack. Brazil struggled to find their rhythm until Vinícius Júnior created some space down the left and picked out Igor Thiago, only for the Brentford striker to hopelessly mistime his header.Ancelotti was on his feet in the searing New Jersey heat for most of the first half and his worst fears were realised in a flash of inspiration from Brahim Díaz. There appeared to be no danger when the Real Madrid forward picked up the ball inside his own half but a sensational pass fell perfectly into Saibari’s stride and he casually lobbed over the stranded Alisson. It was no less than Morocco deserved.Had Achraf Hakimi decided to pass to Díaz instead of shoot in the next attack then it could have been even worse for Brazil. But just when they were on the ropes, Vinícius Júnior came to his side’s rescue when he picked up a pass from Guimarães on the byline and slammed past Yassine Bounou from a tight angle after leaving El Aynaoui on his backside. You could hear the collective sigh of relief in the stands.Bounou had to be at full stretch to tip Lucas Paqueta’s volley wide on the stroke of half-time after the struggling Casemiro and Ibañez both picked up yellow cards. Both were replaced for the second half in an acknowledgement that Ancelotti had got his selection wrong, with Fabinho and Danilo summoned from the bench. The result was a far more structured system that pushed Morocco back into their own half. A quickly-taken throw-in almost caught them out as Bounou denied Thiago from a tight angle.Ancelotti threw on Manchester United’s Matheus Cunha for the last half an hour as Morocco continued to frustrate. A triple substitution that brought an end to Díaz’s evening was an indication that Ouahbi may be prepared to settle for a point and it was Brazil who showed more intent in the closing stages. Their best chance to snatch the victory fell to another substitute, Luis Henrique, during 10 minutes of stoppage time when – to the usually calm and collected Ancelotti’s frustration – Bounou was equal to his effort. Maybe this international management lark isn’t so easy?

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While it was always a reach to project this tournament would feel like 104 Super Bowls, some matchups inevitably fit the blockbuster billing. Brazil and Morocco’s opener in Group C is this tournament’s first glamour fixture, pitting the five-time champions against the dark horse darlings of 2022, who arrive in great form.Few know exactly what to expect from Carlo Ancelotti’s first World Cup on the touchline. A gilded figure on the club side, Ancelotti picked a squad teeming with stout center-backs and dynamic dribblers, but with some uncertainty in midfield, at full-back, and up top. Endrick finally taking a long-awaited leap would do wonders to assuage those latter concerns, and will most likely be necessary if Brazil are to snap their 24-year drought.The history books say Morocco won Afcon 2026 on a technicality, for now anyway, but the fraught final overshadowed what was otherwise a credible tournament run. Brahim Diaz has a point to prove after flubbing his shot to win that tournament outright, and may be grateful that a chance for redemption is here already. After their run to the semi-final in 2022, Morocco will no longer catch opponents by surprise, and Neil El Aynaoui is a vital bridge between Diaz and Achraf Hakimi for right-sided, outside-inside-outside build-up at breakneck pace.In the spirit of that 104 Super Bowl salespitch, today also serves as the 2026 World Cup debut for the site of the final in New Jersey. The venue hosted Super Bowl XLVIII and the 2025 Club World Cup final. It can’t match the architectural charms of Los Angeles Stadium, but was awarded the final anyway given its proximity to New York City. The stars will indeed be out for this dinner-hour kickoff. Up for grabs is the chance the seize control of the group and chart a more favorable path through the knockouts.