Record five-time champions Brazil begin their World Cup 2026 journey on Saturday. Earlier, goalkeeper Alisson Becker believes that the criticism being leveled at the team is acceptable. It will only motivate the team to play better. Liverpool goalkeeper Becker said, ‘There are a lot of doubts about the team right now, and that’s right. Even when Brazil played well before, there were many such doubts.’

Brazil has a history of becoming champions when they were not considered contenders for the title. Brazil last won the World Cup 24 years ago. Now they are motivated to be champions for the sixth time. Brazil last won the World Cup in South Korea and Japan in 2002. Even then, the team was not considered a contender for the title. This time, Brazil’s situation is similar in 2026.

Brazil faces strong team Morocco in its first Group ‘C’ match on Saturday. Defending champions Argentina, runners-up France and European champions France are the likely winners of the World Cup, which begins in North America. England and Portugal are also considered strong. “The current Brazil is different from the old team,” says Becker. “The last few months have not been good for the players for many reasons.”

“But the most important thing is that all of us players are feeling good right now. We want to turn this mood into a win. The match against Morocco will be a favorable result,” he added. Carlo Ancelotti’s team finished fifth in the South American World Cup qualifiers. Brazil’s start to the qualifiers was poor, and two coaches were sacked in the process. Ancelotti, an Italian, has been in charge since last year.

Brazil has won its last three matches. That includes last week's 6-2 defeat of Panama and 2-1 defeat of Egypt. The next match will be at MetLife Stadium, where the team faces an African team that made a splash in the last World Cup by reaching the semi-finals. Brazil is sixth in the FIFA rankings, while Morocco is seventh. This match will therefore be the most evenly matched match in the group stage of this World Cup.

This match will be the most important in the group. Both teams will be looking to get off to a winning start. Brazil will then face a weak Haiti, while their final match is against Scotland. Brazil also won the 1994 World Cup in the United States. However, Brazil's performance in recent World Cups has not been great. Brazil has been eliminated in the quarter-finals four times in the last five World Cups.

In 2014, Brazil was incredibly defeated 7-1 by Germany on home soil. This will be the third World Cup for Becker. The 33-year-old played in every game for Brazil in Russia in 2018 but did not play a single game in Qatar in 2022. Brazil's challenge ended with a defeat to Belgium in the last eight in 2018. In Qatar, they lost to Croatia on penalties.

Becker praised Ancelotti, saying, "Whatever happened is history. There is no point in dwelling on the past. The atmosphere in the team has changed since Ancelotti came. His presence in the team is very strong. He has no interest in controversy. The team's performance has improved since he came as coach and we want to maintain this trend at the World Cup.'

Players to watch

Casemiro (Brazil)

This is almost certain to be the last World Cup for Brazilian midfielder Casemiro. The 34-year-old defensive midfielder recently ended his relationship with Premier League team Manchester United. Casemiro is a free agent while the World Cup is taking place in North America. After leading Real Madrid to five Champions League and three Spanish league titles, Casemiro moved to Manchester United for £70 million.

He started his journey at Brazilian club Sao Paulo and opened the door to the Brazilian national team a year later in 2011 at the age of 19. Since then, he has played 86 games and scored 9 goals. He also played in the 2018 and 2026 World Cups. After a two-year hiatus, Brazil announced the 2026 World Cup squad, including him again.