World Cup 2026: Canada still waiting, US run riot, can Morocco upset Brazil | OneFootball

Buckle up, people! The 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is gathering momentum.

All three co-hosts have already taken centre stage, and now it’s time for some of the tournament favourites to begin their quest for global glory.

Read on as we break down the latest World Cup drama and look ahead to several highly anticipated encounters across North America.

Canada’s wait goes on

Expectations were huge on the back of Canada’s decent pre-tournament form, but they failed to register their maiden World Cup victory.

Jesse Marsch’s side fought back from a narrow half-time deficit to share the spoils with Bosnia & Herzegovina in a dramatic 1-1 draw at BMO Field.

Bosnia took the lead midway through the first half as Universitatea Cluj striker Jovo Lukic headed the ball into the back of the net from point-blank range after a teasing corner-kick delivery from Ivan Basic.

Despite dominating possession and creating several promising chances, Canada couldn’t find a way past the Dragons’ deep defensive block until second-half substitute Cyle Larin struck home a superb half-volley in the 78th minute.

It took the Southampton centre-forward just two minutes on the pitch to score his 31st international goal and secure a first World Cup point for his country in their seventh game in the finals.

Although it’s a small consolation, the co-hosts have avoided defeat in a World Cup fixture for the first time, which could be a decent platform to build upon, especially considering they face Group B minnows Qatar next.

US launch World Cup in style

The US enjoyed a phenomenal start to the tournament, putting Paraguay to the sword in a one-sided Group D curtain-raiser at SoFi Stadium.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side cruised to a dominant 4-1 victory, with Folarin Balogun topping the scoring.

Damian Bobadilla scored an unfortunate own goal in the seventh minute before Balogun’s quick-fire first-half brace inspired the co-hosts to an unassailable half-time lead.

Balogun became just the fifth US player to hit double-digits at a World Cup. Despite sitting on a hat-trick since the half-time break, he couldn’t replicate Bert Patenaude‘s iconic hat-trick against none other than Paraguay in 1930.

Nevertheless, the US aced out of the blocks in Group D, setting themselves up perfectly for the upcoming clash against Australia.

Despite Balogun’s performance, Giovanni Reyna’s stunning ‘trivela’ to seal victory with the last kick of the game stole the headlines.

Mouth-watering Group C opener

MetLife Stadium forms the backdrop for one of the standout fixtures of day one as record-time world champions Brazil take on 2022 surprise package Morocco in the opening game of Group C.

Carlo Ancelotti won’t have superstar forward Neymar at his disposal, even though he travelled to North America with the squad.

Neymar’s absence failed to disrupt Brazil’s attacking chemistry in the build-up to the tournament, with the Selecao netting 11 goals in three warm-up matches, most notably beating Croatia 3-1 in April.

Having won the last World Cup held in the US, the CONMEBOL heavyweights will be eager to return to North America in pursuit of their first title since 2002.

Morocco’s memories from the 1994 edition are far less nostalgic, as they exited at the group stage after losing all three matches.

However, they enjoyed a dream run in Qatar four years ago, becoming the first-ever African team to reach the semi-finals, and will be keen to prove it wasn’t just a one-off under new boss Mohamed Ouahbi.

Ouahbi, who replaced Walid Regragui shortly after Morocco’s controversial Africa Cup of Nations triumph, now faces the daunting task of proving his side can remain among world football’s emerging powers rather than fade back into obscurity.

What better way to prove than by beating one of the leading contenders for the title?

Scotland handed a major fitness boost

It has been nearly three decades since Scotland’s last World Cup appearance. The nation is awaiting the Tartan Army’s opening Group C clash against outsiders Haiti with bated breath.

With Brazil and Morocco waiting down the stretch, there will be no margin for error here. Manager Steve Clarke can draw confidence from Scotland’s encouraging run of six wins from their last six outings.

More importantly, Napoli talisman Scott McTominay has timed his return from illness to perfection. As confirmed by Clarke, the 29-year-old is ‘ready to go’ after missing the last training session.

McTominay’s recovery comes as a massive boost for Scotland, who desperately need a win here to bolster their hopes of progressing into the World Cup knockout stage for the first time.

Haiti may not be dreaming as big as their more esteemed rivals, but they’ll undoubtedly fancy their chances at Gillette Stadium, hoping to avoid defeat in what will be their fourth World Cup fixture.

Les Grenadiers last appeared at the tournament in 1974, but they suffered a sobering group-stage campaign, losing all three games by an aggregate score of 14-2, with two of those three losses coming against UEFA opposition.

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Brazil will be the first top team to take the field at the tournament. As such, the spotlight will firmly be on Ancelotti’s side as they look to send an early statement to the rest of the chasing pack.

The Selecao have not lost any of their last 20 World Cup openers, clinching an impressive 17 victories in that sequence. However, they’d be naive to take anything for granted against Morocco.

With the Atlas Lions keeping a first-half clean sheet each of their last 24 internationals, Brazil may need patience rather than fireworks if they are to get their Group C journey off to a winning start.