Brazil Drawn With Morocco, Haiti and Scotland in World Cup Group C

Brazil will begin their 2026 World Cup Group C campaign against Morocco at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 13, in a group that also contains Scotland and Haiti. The five-time champions are clear favourites to advance, and most previews have filed the draw under routine. Look at where these teams sit in the rankings, though, and Group C is less of a procession than the headline suggests.

Morocco, semi-finalists at the last World Cup, arrive as the most credible challenger to top spot, while Scotland and Haiti will chase the lifeline that the expanded 48-team format hands to the best third-placed sides.

Brazil and Morocco Sit Two Places Apart in the Rankings

The bracket reads as one giant and three outsiders. The numbers tell a closer story. When the groups were confirmed in the official 2026 World Cup final draw, Group C landed two of the top eight nations on the planet in the same pot. Brazil are sixth and Morocco eighth on FIFA’s men’s world ranking, a pairing few of the 12 groups can match.

That matters because of how the new format treats the runners-up. Finishing second in Group C is not a soft landing; it likely feeds a tougher route through the knockouts than topping a weaker group would. So the Brazil versus Morocco opener on June 13 carries weight beyond three points. It sets the seeding fight between two sides that both expect to go deep.

Scotland and Haiti complete the group at 43rd and 83rd respectively. The gap to the top two is real. But in a 48-team field, third place is no longer a dead end, which is why both underdogs travel to the United States with a path rather than a token appearance.

How the Four Teams Match Up

The four squads bring sharply different histories to the group, from a record-holder that has played every World Cup to a Caribbean side returning after half a century. The table sets the contrast in one view.

Brazil are the only nation to have featured at every edition of the tournament, and the only team in this group with a trophy to its name. Morocco bring the most recent pedigree of the four. Scotland and Haiti share a ceiling: neither has ever survived the first round.

Morocco Arrive as the Group’s Quiet Co-Favourite

Morocco changed the conversation about African football at the last World Cup. They knocked out Spain and Portugal on the way to becoming the first African and Arab nation to reach a semi-final, before losing to France and finishing fourth place at the 2022 tournament. That campaign, charted across the federation’s stated ambition during the run, is why a No. 8 ranking now reads as earned rather than flattering. You can trace the shift to Morocco’s run to the 2022 semi-finals, after which winning the next World Cup was framed as a target rather than a fantasy.

The squad still leans on the spine that did the damage in Qatar, with full-back Achraf Hakimi among the established names. What has changed is the dugout. Walid Regragui, the coach who masterminded the 2022 run, left the role in early 2026 after the Africa Cup of Nations final defeat to Senegal on home soil. His replacement is Mohamed Ouahbi, who guided Morocco’s under-20 side to the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup title before stepping up to the senior job.

For Brazil, that is the awkward part of the draw. A team ranked eighth, with knockout scar tissue and a settled core, is exactly the kind of opponent a tournament favourite does not want in its opening match.

Ancelotti Carries Brazil’s 24-Year Title Drought

Brazil go into the World Cup chasing a sixth title and, more pointedly, an end to a wait that has stretched since the 2002 final. Carlo Ancelotti, the most decorated club coach of his generation, will lead them at a World Cup for the first time, having taken charge of the national team in 2025. The brief is simple to state and hard to deliver: restore Brazil to the summit after more than two decades.

The tools are there. Ancelotti named a 26-man Brazil squad on May 18 built around Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha, Bruno Guimarães, Casemiro and Marquinhos, with teenage forward Endrick also included. The headline call was Neymar. The country’s all-time record scorer made the cut at 34, while Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus and 113-cap defender Thiago Silva were left out.

Brazil should beat Scotland and Haiti. The question the group poses is whether they top it, and in what shape they emerge for a knockout bracket that now starts a round earlier than fans are used to.

Can Scotland or Haiti Reach the Round of 32?

This is where the maths of the bigger tournament rewrites old assumptions. With 48 teams across 12 groups of four, simply finishing third is now worth chasing. The structure works like this:

• The top two from each of the 12 groups advance automatically, accounting for 24 places.
• The eight best third-placed teams fill out the new round of 32.
• Those third-place spots are settled on points, then goal difference, compared across every group.
• The tournament runs to 104 matches in total, up from 64 at the last edition.

For a No. 43 and a No. 83 side, that changes the calculation. Beat the team next to you, take a point off one of the favourites, and a place in the knockouts is suddenly live. Both Scotland and Haiti will treat their June 13 openers, against each other in all but name, as the match their tournament turns on.

Scotland’s First Finals Since 1998

Steve Clarke’s side qualified as winners of their UEFA group, ending a World Cup absence that stretched back to France 1998. Scotland have now reached nine World Cups and never once climbed out of the group stage, a record that has defined the men’s team for decades. The draw did them no favours at the top, but the third-place route gives Clarke a target his predecessors never had.

Haiti’s Return After 52 Years

Haiti’s qualification is the romance of the group. Coached by Sébastien Migné, the Caribbean side won their CONCACAF group to reach a World Cup for only the second time, and a first appearance since 1974. On their only previous visit they went out in the first round. Ranked 83rd and pooled with two top-eight teams, Haiti are the longest shot in Group C, yet the expanded format means even a single result could keep them alive into the last week of the group stage.

Group C Fixtures, Venues and Kick-Off Times

Group C plays out across five United States venues over 11 days, from New Jersey to Miami. All kick-off times below are listed in Eastern Time.

Brazil and Morocco open Group C on June 13, and the group’s qualifiers will be settled on the night of June 24 in Miami and Atlanta.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Brazil play in 2026 World Cup Group C?

Brazil play three group games: against Morocco on June 13 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Haiti on June 20 in Philadelphia, and Scotland on June 24 in Miami. All three kick off in the evening, Eastern Time.

Why is Morocco considered a threat in Group C?

Morocco are ranked eighth in the world, two places behind Brazil, and reached the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup, finishing fourth. They are the only team in Group C besides Brazil ranked inside the global top 40.

How many teams qualify from each group at the 2026 World Cup?

The top two teams from each of the 12 groups advance automatically, and the eight best third-placed teams across all groups also progress, creating a 32-team knockout round. Third place is decided on points, then goal difference.

Has Scotland ever got past the World Cup group stage?

No. The 2026 finals are Scotland’s ninth World Cup appearance, and they have never advanced beyond the group stage. It is also their first appearance at the tournament since 1998.

When did Haiti last play at a World Cup?

Haiti last appeared at a World Cup in 1974, a gap of 52 years. They were eliminated in the group stage on that only previous visit, making 2026 just their second appearance at the tournament.