Brazil kicked off the 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Morocco on June 13 at Philadelphia Stadium, Pennsylvania.
Ismael Saibari took the lead for Morocco in the 21st minute, while Vinícius Júnior found the equaliser for Brazil in the 32nd minute.
Despite being undefeated in the match, the draw still appeared to be an underwhelming start for Brazil, especially considering their star-studded squad, and brought head coach Carlo Ancelotti’s squad under scrutiny.
And now, ahead of their second match of the competition, the Italian manager has clearly stated that star power alone is not enough to “determine this edition of the World Cup”, which he believes will be defined by “high-intensity football.”
Ancelotti’s comments come at a time when his squad, which includes prominent stars like Vinícius and Raphinha, Neymar, Casemiro and Alisson Becker, among others, have been on the receiving end of criticism from the very first game of the World Cup.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of their upcoming group-stage match against Haiti, Ancelotti said,
“I think that the stars aren’t going to determine this World Cup. I’ve seen underdog teams that play football very well, a high-intensity style of football, and I think it’s going to be a World Cup of high-intensity football.”
The former Real Madrid coach also discussed his squad’s display in their first game of the competition and added,
“The first half was a bit unexpected; it may be that the pressure of wearing the shirt in the opening match affected the players’ mental state a little. Getting off to a good start was important, but it isn’t the most important thing.”
“We have to give further opportunities to the players who didn’t perform well in the first half against Morocco. No one in our team played at their best. But I don’t think the opening matches will determine the final outcome of the World Cup.”
Ancelotti further mentioned that even though the opening game had not gone in Brazil’s favour, he remained optimistic about their chances and expressed confidence that his squad would improve in the upcoming matches.
“You don’t win the World Cup in the first match. The players’ self-criticism was very positive. I think we’ll sort out the problems; I remain confident that we’ll be competitive.”
“We’re going to make a few changes. Improve our balance and our play. We can do better, and we have to do better,” concluded the 67-year-old coach.
Brazil are set to face Haiti in their second group stage clash of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 20.
