The 2026 World Cup hasn’t kicked off yet and we already have our first must-watch individual duel. Achraf Hakimi, Morocco’s captain and one of the best right-backs on the planet, says he’s ready to defend against Vinícius Júnior when Morocco open their Group C campaign against Brazil on June 13 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Why this matchup matters more than most
Hakimi isn’t just some fullback talking a big game before a tournament. He captains a Moroccan side that became the first African nation ever to reach a World Cup semifinal, accomplishing the feat at Qatar 2022. Morocco beat Belgium, Spain, and Portugal on their way to the final four. In a friendly match in 2023, Morocco defeated Brazil outright. An actual win against a five-time World Cup champion.
Vinícius Júnior has cemented himself as the focal point of Brazil’s attacking strategy heading into the tournament. Reports indicate he has been leading Brazil’s training sessions in the buildup to the World Cup. Brazil are chasing a record sixth World Cup title.
Hakimi is a PSG defender who faces world-class wingers every week in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. Vinícius, meanwhile, has been terrorizing La Liga defenses for Real Madrid for years.
The tactical chess match
Hakimi is not your traditional stay-at-home right-back. He’s an attacking fullback who loves to push forward, overlap, and create chances. That’s his superpower at PSG, and it’s a massive part of how Morocco build their offensive play.
Vinícius Júnior is most dangerous when he has space to run at defenders one-on-one, cutting inside from the left wing. If Hakimi bombs forward the way he normally does, he leaves space behind him that Vinícius can exploit. If he sits deep to contain Vinícius, Morocco lose one of their most potent attacking weapons.
Group C dynamics
Group C features Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, and Haiti. Brazil and Morocco are the clear favorites to advance, making this opening match enormously consequential. Brazil’s last World Cup title came in 2002. Morocco already beat them in a 2023 friendly, and a win in a World Cup match would validate everything they’ve been building since Qatar 2022 under Walid Regragui.
MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will likely be packed with supporters from both nations, given the large Brazilian and Moroccan diaspora communities in the US. Morocco’s 2022 supporters turned every stadium in Qatar into a home ground, and if they replicate that in New Jersey, Vinícius Júnior will be dealing with Hakimi in front of a crowd that watched their team make history four years ago.