When most people think of the FIFA World Cup, they picture countries like France, Spain, Argentina and Brazil. But Morocco, a nation without the same storied soccer history, is making a compelling case as a dark-horse contender.

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Four years after becoming the first Arab team to reach the World Cup semifinals, Morocco arrives with a roster of stars — including Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz and captain Achraf Hakimi, fresh off a Champions League title with Paris-St. Germain. Their experience is helping shape hungry young talents like Bilal el Khannous and Ayyoub Bouaddi, tenacious midfielders who refuse to surrender possession.

Fans flew in to witness one of the most competitive matches of this early phase of the 2026 World Cup — a 1-1 draw packed with players aspiring to become national heroes this summer.

“It’s a difficult game to start against a great team of good players. We had a lot of intensity at the start, we kept pushing in the second half,” Chemsdine Talbi told NBC News. “Unfortunately, we did not get the second goal but it was a good game to start this World Cup.”

It’s a strong opening for the Atlas Lions, but the expectation is to go even further than their third-place finish in 2022.

“If you’re asking me [if] I want to have the same trajectory — no,” head coach Mohamed Ouahbi told reporters after the match. “I want to go beyond the semifinals. It was a good match. It was one point — we hoped for more, but one is good enough, and we’ll improve.”

The North African national team showed remarkable connectivity on short passes, creative footwork and blistering speed that pinned Brazil in their own field for much of the first half, forcing them onto the back foot from the opening whistle.

The first goal came from Ismeal Saibari in the 21st minute, the product of a stunning transition out of trouble in front of Morocco’s net. After repelling a Brazilian corner kick, Saibari slipped between two defenders to collect a long pass from Diaz and drove the ball past Alisson Becker into the net.

Vinicius Jr., however, had other ideas. In the 32nd minute, he shed Neil El Aynaoui with a flawless strike from outside the box to level the score. Morocco never quite recovered momentum, returning from halftime to face a more confident Brazil that set up camp in front of its goal.

Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made several spectacular saves in the second half as Morocco’s midfield began to fray, struggling to maintain possession or capitalize on transitions. But the coaching staff isn’t losing sleep over it.

Ouahbi noted that a sluggish second half was to be expected after such a long absence from high-stakes tournament football, crediting his players for their overall consistency while acknowledging that most had been on limited minutes in recent friendlies.

“First match championship, it’s been a while since they’ve had such a high-intensity match,” Ouahbi said. “It’s part and parcel that, the second half, there’s more errors. But after subs you’ve seen some more freshness and we’ve corrected some mistakes.”

Captain Hakimi, who gave Brazil a difficult time in duels along the backline, echoed that measured optimism in his first remarks after leaving the pitch Saturday evening.

“We have to keep the positive things,” Hakimi said. “We’re going to learn from the mistakes that we did for sure, but we have to keep going. We have two games to continue in the tournament and that’s more important.”

Ouahbi assured fans that the team will continue “soldiering on” through the longest FIFA World Cup to date. And those in the stands — and at home — will have every reason to keep watching.

“We showed that we have personality, strong personality, and we’ll continue showing this,” Ouahbi said. “Do not settle for this draw. We’ll deliver stronger results in the future, and God willing, this is what we’ll do. And I can promise you this is not the end.”