Brazil and Morocco are the favourites to progress from the 2026 World Cup’s Group C, while Scotland and Haiti would be considered underdogs.
Brazil
Everyone knows Brazil are arguably the world’s geatest football nation, and at any World Cup they are always one of the favourites to win the title. The Seleção have won the World Cup a record five times (ahead of Germany’s four and Argentina’s three) and will make their 23rd appearance this year. Some recent tournament failures — the 7-1 home semifinal humiliation by Germany in 2014 was Brazilian football’s ultimate shame and was followed by quarterfinal exits in 2018 and 2022 — have pointed to a growing fragility in the sport in the country, which they will be out show was a temporary slump this year in North America.
Brazil are always competitive. They have reached the final seven times and the semifinals 11 times. Hugely decorated Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti took over from May last year and Brazil’s first foreign coach is tasked with guiding a potentially fearsome combination to their sixth title.
Star players include huge names, including one of the world’s great players in Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid), Barcelona forward Raphinha, defenders Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain) and Éder Militão (Real Madrid) and midfielder Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United).
- Fifa ranking: 6
- Best World Cup finishes: Champions (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
- World Cup appearances: 22
MOROCCO
After a superb showing in Qatar four years ago when they became Africa’s first semifinalists and finished fourth, Morocco will look forward to writing the next chapter of their great story in the US, Mexico and Canada. The Atlas Lions are favourites to progress from this group alongside Brazil. Backed by seven appearances at the World Cup, Morocco were one of Africa’s earliest performers at the World Cup, with a famous last 16 finish in 1986 and having made their debut at Mexico 1970.
Moroccan football is on a high — the country’s clubs reach continental finals regularly and the national team is genuinely competitive, reaching the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) final as hosts in January, having the result awarded to them despite losing 1-0 by Caf’s appeals board, though that decision seems likely to be overturned at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. North America is the first time they have qualified for three World Cups in succession.
After being appointed after their Afcon final disappointment to replace Walid Regragui, 49-year-old Mohamed Ouahbi, a former Anderlecht youth and Morocco junior coach, is tasked with leading the team to another strong World Cup. He will rely more on star players such as arguably the world’s best right-back Achraf Hakimi (Paris St Germain), Real Madrid attacker Brahim Diaz and Olympiacos striker Ayoub El Kaabi.
- Fifa ranking: 8
- Best World Cup finishes: Fourth (2022), Last 16 (1986)
- World Cup appearances: 7
SCOTLAND
Scotland have qualified for the World Cup nine times, with this year’s edition marking their latest appearance after a 28-year absence. In all their eight appearances on the global stage, they have failed to progress past the first round and are desperate to change that this year. To achieve that, they will have to be at their best to get results against favourites Brazil and Morocco.
After steering them to three consecutive major tournaments (going out in the group stage at Euro 2020 and 2024, and now the World Cup), coach Steve Clarke will look to end Scotland’s group phase hoodoo in North America. Star players such as Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay, Liverpool defender Andy Robertson, Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn and Torino striker Che Adams are expected to play a role for the rugged, tough-to-beat Scots.
- Fifa ranking: 43
- Best World Cup finishes: Group stages 8 (1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998)
- World Cup appearances: 8
HAITI
The lowest-ranked team and easily the underdogs in Group C, the islanders are also one of the minnows of Fifa’s first 48-team World Cup, with only one previous appearance in 1974 in West Germany, losing all three matches while conceding 14 goals and scoring two.
They will need to earn results and preferably beat Morocco and Scotland to have any chance of progressing from the group stage, and that’s a fairly tall order for the world’s 84th-ranked team, though football has changed markedly since the 1970s and these days minnows are certainly more capable of upsets.
Haiti are coached by 53-year-old Frenchman Sébastien Migné, who once had a three-month stint, lasting five matches, with Marumo Gallants in South Africa’s Premiership in 2021, after which he was assistant to Rigobert Song for two years with Cameroon, and who has also coached Republic of Congo, Kenya and Equatorial Guinea.
Their star players include Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and French Ligue 2 side SC Bastia’s goalkeeper Johny Placide.
- Fifa ranking: 84
- Best World Cup finishes: Group stage (1974)
- World Cup appearance: 1
• TimesLIVE, Sowetan, The Herald and Daily Dispatch and Business Day online will profile a 2026 WORLD CUP GROUP every Tuesday until the tournament’s June 11 kickoff. Also catch the STAR PLAYER profile every Friday.
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