Ancelotti's first World Cup as a head coach — he frames it as responsibility and honour, and wants to enjoy the tournament. On possession: not the key metric, goals scored and conceded matter more; the plan is to control the game on the ball and stay compact without it.

Neymar is working to recover but won't rejoin the group before next week and misses the Morocco match; he was called up for his experience and as an example to the younger players. Wesley dropped out injured, replaced by Ederson — the call was between nine defenders or six midfielders, and they went with defenders.

Ancelotti rates Morocco as well organised with quality across the pitch and wants a complete performance in every phase. He singled out set pieces: around 30% of goals in the modern game come from them.

In his view there is no clear favourite at this World Cup.

Ouahbi is confident heading in: the players' condition, principles and values were already tested against Norway. Two key men — Aguerd and Ezzalzouli — were released through injury; the decision was made together with the players, in honesty toward 40 million fans, and it doesn't change the shape much.

Hakimi has faced Vinicius many times, knows Brazil's quality, and says the defending has to be collective — he feels ready. The heat is familiar: an African side, well prepared, and they handled it against Norway.

After the 2022 semi-final Morocco has, in the coach's words, 'entered another dimension' — they respect Brazil but don't fear them. On Neymar's absence: it changes things for Brazil, not for Morocco, who prepared with and without him; Hakimi would rather face him — it may be Neymar's last World Cup.

Ouahbi reckons Ancelotti has added structure, and beyond the stars he flagged Guimaraes, Casemiro, Paqueta and Cunha.

Carlo Ancelotti held a pre-match press conference ahead of Brazil's opening World Cup 2026 fixture against Morocco — his first major tournament as a national team head coach, having previously served as an assistant at the 1994 edition. On game plan, he outlined a dual approach: controlling possession in attacking phases while staying compact and organized without the ball, drawing a direct parallel to his Real Madrid side where the counter-attack was a primary weapon.

Neymar is working to recover from injury and is expected to rejoin the group next week; Ancelotti stressed he was called up not only for his technical quality but for the experience he brings to a young squad. Wesley was cut due to injury, with Ederson drafted in as a replacement — the staff chose nine defenders over six midfielders in the final 26-man composition.

With only 12 matches as Brazil's head coach, Ancelotti said his core work was adaptation: to the players' characteristics, the environment, and the structure of a national setup. Set pieces received specific emphasis — he cited the figure that 30% of goals in modern football come from dead-ball situations and noted that Brazil has quality both in delivery and in the air.

Asked about Brazil not being considered a favorite, Ancelotti assessed this World Cup as unusually balanced with no clear frontrunner, while affirming full confidence in the squad's ability to compete against any opponent. The conference closed with a tribute to Brito, defender of Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning side, who passed away the previous day.

Carlo Ancelotti spoke to the press after Brazil's opening draw against Morocco at the 2026 World Cup. He described the first half as genuinely difficult: Brazil looked anxious, gave the ball away too often, and failed to establish any kind of balance on the pitch, with Morocco firmly in control.

The second half was a different game — the team improved markedly, aided by substitutions at the 45th and 59th minutes. Ancelotti defended his starting lineup, which caught many journalists off guard, insisting the selection was premeditated and declining to criticise individual players; he also avoided directly addressing why Endrick, who could have provided a goal threat, was not introduced when Brazil needed a winner.

He singled out Vinicius Junior's strike for praise, saying the forward has every quality to have a strong tournament. The draw, Ancelotti stressed, has not damaged team confidence — nerves in a World Cup opener are natural and expected.

The objective remains to progress from the group stage, and the squad will keep improving with each match.