Group C's General Discussion Thread

Pretty much Joao Pedro case I'd say - had his chances in NT, but never really showed the level he used to during his best days in Newcastle. Some silly mistakes, poor decisions, even lack of confidence I'd say. Moreover he had tough season either, plagued with injuries, inconsistent performances

 

But it seems too soon to give up on his NT career given his age and lack of playing time with the NT.

Also, you could make the same argument for others, like Vinny Jr.

 

I couldn't make exactly the same arguments with Vini or let's say Raphinha, even tho I know what you mean and you have a point. That's a big issue in NT, just cases are a bit different to Joao Pedro, so consequences too.
While regarding Joao Pedro future, I don't think it'd be fair or wise to give up on him for good now. Even tho there're some red flags, but guy is only 24-25yo, so surely should have another try, especially if he'll keep up delivering for Chelsea

 

I would have taken a 5th CB like Ait Boudlal instead of El Ouahdi who'll have no chance to play in Hakimi/Mazraoui's position

 

Really hopeful Haiti can pull off some T&T miracle and get a result and a reasonably okay performance like they did against England (in my book that game should have been a draw, definitely looked like Crouch fouled a defender on the goal he scored 20 years ago). Haiti isn't good, like, at all, but they're athletic, reasonably fast, strong, can score the occasional goal, physical. They would have been helped quite a bit more by having that Scotland match in the afternoon on matchday 2 for a better chance of a hot and humid game, as it is, Scotland is going to escape more brutal conditions, it will be warm and mildly humid, instead of hot and humid further south and later in the month.

All 3 Brazil matches should range from warm to hot and humid, so Scotland is going to basically melt into a puddle on matchday 3 and hope Brazil needs nothing in the match and plays for a draw in miserably hot Miami. Haiti will get Brazil in likely its hottest and most humid game (Philly in late June), before playing Morocco in a dome. So basically Haiti got no breaks they could take advantage of .

I think this group goes:
1. Brazil
2. Morocco
3. Scotland
4. Haiti

like probably almost everyone else. I'm hoping Haiti pull off a shock in Boston, but I tend to doubt it, the weather shouldn't be too bad, so Scotland should be able to grab 3.

 

Is that really a loss for Brazil or a blessing in disguise ?

 

Nobody really knows.
They have played most of the World Cup cycle without him so in some ways it does not seem all that bad if he is not available.
But Ancelotti has him on the roster so he must see him bringing something to the table whether it is leadership, a skill he may have that the others do not, or just plain mentality (and experience) of playing in a World Cup before.

 

Legal live of the friendly between Morocco and Norway :

 

Friends reunited after the final whistle 🤝#DimaMaghrib 🇲🇦 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/lPYt6XQvXa

— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) June 7, 2026

 

Ahh damn, didn't know it was such a good link and had to watch via online stream Anyways, very solid game by Morocco. I was wondering how they will look against such top offense like Norway and Morocco did just great, Haaland was barely seen, others didn't do much either, only goal came when bunch of subs were made. Also that aggressive approach in opening minutes, knowing that Norway's defense in their Achilles Heal, looked superb and paid off with Diaz goal. Great tactics. Only obvious issue was injuries. Are there any news about Mazraoui, Ezzalzouli? Aguerd also still injured?

 

Yeah
Pressing Norway high from the start paid off, we could have scored a couple more with better focus in the last touch. The 2nd half Norway was better but as you said we had changed 9 players.

I'm very worried about the injuries, Mazraoui will likely be out for 10-11 days for shoulder dislocation and still no news about Ezzalzouli but it looks like it was the knee.

Also Anass Salaheddine who should be number 2 in the LB behind Mazraoui (unless Maz plays RB) wasn't on the match sheet for injury so pretty worried about who will start the 1st match in this position. 3rd choice Belammari was terrible yesterday.

 

Brazil: This team is one of the Top 5 teams in the world with a lot of talent. Their attack is top notch with Vinicius Jr, Raphina, and Martinelli. Neymar is past his prime but he’ll be there too. Rodrygo is sadly injured. There’s also a great defense with Bremer, Danilo, Gabriel, and Marquinhos. However, the biggest weak point is their midfield. Casemiro is slowing down a bit, and while Guimaraes and Paqueta are ok, they’re not world class. This team has been inconsistent and had problems during qualification; but Ancelotti has taken over a year ago and the team has improved a lot and found consistency and identity. I think Ancelotti’s Brazil are serious World Cup contenders.

Morocco: There’s been a lot of recent controversy regarding this team; with Regragui resigning as coach and Ouahbi taking over. Unfortunately we haven’t seen a lot from the new coach as he’s only been there for 4 months, but he has made some very controversial decisions by leaving out key players like: Ziyech, En-Nesyri, etc. There’s still Hakimi, Mazraoui, Amrabat, and new attacker Diaz; but I’m not the most optimistic about the vision of the new coach. He’s making the team way more attacking and possession based, while leaving out key players.

Scotland: This team has been growing a lot over the past years since Clarke took over. Robertson, McTominay, Ferguson, and McGinn are their best players. Sadly Gilmour is out injured. This team has a lot of tactical stability and decent structure; but can be broken down by clearly more talented teams.

Haiti: One of the weakest teams in this tournament, but don’t underestimate them. They narrowly topped a qualification group with Honduras and Costa Rica. Don’t expect much from them, but it won’t be a walk in the park either.

Given all the circumstances, I think Brazil wins this group, Morocco second, Scotland third, and Haiti last. The biggest questions are how well will Morocco perform under Ouahbi and how hard it’ll be; as well as will Scotland do enough to advance as a third placed team? If Morocco sneaks a draw against Brazil, Scotland has a better chance of advancing. Either way, Brazil comes first on goal difference if not points.

Final Predictions:
1. Brazil
2. Morocco
3. Scotland
4. Haiti

 

There isn't really a controversy about Ziyech and En-nesyri. No journalist even asked him about those two players during the press conferences we had so far with him.
Ziyech is past his prime and he's playing in the local league now after a 6 month spent without club. He still has qualities but he doesn't fit the international physical level.
En-nesyri was always criticized and now that he chose the petromoney in Saudi Arabia he lost points compared to the competition. Other strikers who weren't called would have deserved more like former U23 international Yanis Begraoui who scored 20 goals in the Portugese league this season or Tawfik Bentayeb who also scored 20 goals this season with his French Ligue 2 team Troyes and who's likely transferring to Feyenoord this summer. En-nesyri has scored less than these two this season and he's not playing in a top league to add himself credit.

 

I think Brazil are still favourites to win the group, but Morocco are probably the team most capable of making it awkward for them.
The Norway friendly was encouraging because Morocco pressed well early and limited Haaland for most of the game, but the injury situation is a real concern. If Mazraoui and Ezzalzouli are not fully fit, that changes the balance a lot.

I’d still go:

1. Brazil
2. Morocco
3. Scotland
4. Haiti

But I wouldn’t be shocked if Morocco-Brazil is much closer than people expect.

 

I think Morocco vs Brazil might end in a draw, but Brazil wins on goal difference.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Morocco draw as both Brazil and Scotland and beats Haiti

 

Ezzalzouli and Aguerd officially out

 

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 🏀😅

#DimaMaghrib 🇲🇦 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/ewIkzvGZZj

— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) June 10, 2026