Group C

The Nostalgia Group

Venues: East Rutherford, Foxborough, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta

The Group

Brazil headline this group as -350 favourites to win it outright, but the Seleção carry more baggage than a touring rock band. Carlo Ancelotti, appointed after Dorival Júnior was sacked following a 4-1 humiliation in Buenos Aires, inherits a side that finished fifth in CONMEBOL qualifying and conceded 17 goals in 18 matches. Vinícius Jr. moves to a central striker role under Ancelotti, which limits his ability to stretch defences; that tactical shift is genuinely interesting but unproven at this level. Morocco arrive as the real challengers. They went eight wins from eight in CAF qualification, conceding just twice, and showed in 2022 that their compact defensive block and lethal transition game can dismantle elite opposition. New coach Mohamed Ouahbi brings zero senior management experience, yet carries zero tournament losses to his name, having led the Morocco U-20s to the 2025 U-20 World Cup title. At +400 to win the group, there is genuine value there. Scotland return to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years under Steve Clarke and face the same group opponents who ended their 1998 campaign. They qualified from UEFA with four wins and have Scott McTominay and Andy Robertson as class acts, but their tournament record, eight previous exits at the group stage, tells its own story. Haiti make only their second-ever World Cup appearance, 52 years after their first, and are a 100/1 shot with good reason. The June 13 Brazil-Morocco clash settles the group winner.