Brazil – Morocco

The favourite will not live up to the bookmakers' expectations.

The Brazil national team has entered the top five contenders to win the World Cup in North America. One might wonder what the point is, considering two key factors. Firstly, Brazilian footballers did not shine in the South American qualifiers. Despite the appointment of the legendary Carlo Ancelotti at the head of the national team, the five-time world champions kept slipping up. The final fifth place out of ten teams on the continent makes one wonder about the 'health' of the Brazilian squad. Secondly, Brazil has not played in a World Cup final since 2002. This is no longer a 'dark spell', but a significant historical era. And before every new world championship, bookmakers factor in that this era is about to end. The reason is clear: this country remains a supplier of football players, including stars, to all the top leagues of the world. Morocco presents a completely different situation. The Moroccan squad has formed and established itself as a team of stars over the past five years. Not at every position does this team have a first-rate star, but Morocco is by no means lacking such players. The North African team's path has taken it from fourth place at the last World Cup in Qatar, through winning the continent's main competition, to a victorious and devastating-to-opponents qualification for the upcoming World Championship. Bookmakers have named the Brazilians the favorites for the upcoming match, offering odds of 1.63 on their victory. Brazil traditionally arrived in North America with a huge media entourage. However, over the past decades Brazilians on the World Cup stage have not kept pace with their own numerous promo reels. There are no clear signs yet, besides a couple of successful friendly matches, that things in Brazil's camp have seriously improved. The Morocco national team arrived at the World Cup with an ongoing unbeaten run of almost thirty matches. Moreover, the last defeat of the team was recorded in the relatively insignificant Africa Nations Championship. Hakimi, Mazraoui, Bono and Diaz are not far behind their heavily promoted opponents.