Brasil y Marruecos empatan, Escocia gana y Catar suma su primer punto mundialista

Brazil’s opening night at the 2026 World Cup was defined less by relief than by a warning: Morocco did not merely survive, it controlled the terms of the draw. Vinícius Júnior pulled Brazil level in the 32nd minute to secure a 1-1 result in New Jersey, but the bigger story was Morocco’s discipline, compact shape and refusal to break under pressure in Brazil’s first match of the tournament.

The equalizer carried familiar weight for Vinícius Júnior, who also scored for Brazil at Qatar 2022 in the 4-1 win over South Korea. Even so, his goal could not turn the match into a Brazilian statement. Morocco looked organized from the opening stages and again showed why its recent World Cup record has changed the way opponents prepare for it. Brazil and Morocco had met only once before on the World Cup stage, when Brazil won 3-0 on June 15, 1998, with goals from Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Bebeto. That history now feels distant. This version of Morocco played like a side that expects to belong at the top level, not just interrupt it.

Elsewhere, Scotland delivered the kind of result that can reshape a group table and a national mood at once. John McGinn scored in the first half to beat Haiti 1-0 at Gillette Stadium in Boston, giving Scotland its first World Cup victory in 36 years. Its previous win in the competition had come against Sweden in the group stage of Italia 90 in 1990. After the first round of matches, Scotland sat atop Group C, ahead of Brazil and Morocco after their draw.

Qatar also carved out a place in its own history. Boualem Khoukhi struck in stoppage time to earn a 1-1 draw with Switzerland at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and with it Qatar’s first point ever in a World Cup. The late goal came in front of 67,966 spectators and left Switzerland frustrated after spending much of the match on the front foot. Qatar’s breakthrough was modest on the scoreboard but major in symbolic terms, a result that changes the conversation around its place in the tournament.

Taken together, the day offered a clear early reading of the World Cup: Brazil still leans on moments of individual brilliance, while Morocco is building something more durable. Scotland reclaimed a result it had not tasted in generations, and Qatar finally got on the board.