Picture : Ismael Saibari opened the score for Morocco in the big game against Brazil !
World Cup 2026 Statistics – Day 3 (June 13)
Qatar vs Switzerland 1-1 (Group B)
*Switzerland have gone seven consecutive World Cups without losing their starting match (since 1994). This equals Belgium’s record (unbeaten at World Cup starts since 1990), and only three other teams have a longer ongoing streak:
Brazil – 21 (since 1938, including the current edition),
Netherlands – 9 (since 1974),
Mexico – 8 (since 1998).
Switzerland’s last starting defeat was a 0-5 against Germany in 1966.
*Breel Embolo scored the first penalty awarded for Switzerland in their history of the World Cup (in 42nd match).
Now Morocco inherit the record for the most World Cup matches without a penalty in their favor (24).
*Embolo, who scored vs Cameroon and Serbia at World Cup 2022, became the third player in history to score his first three World Cup goals against teams from CAF, UEFA and AFC, after:
James Rodríguez (Colombia, scored vs Ivory Coast, Greece and Japan),
Artem Dzyuba (Russia, scored vs Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Spain).
*Boualem Khoukhi’s equaliser for Qatar at 93 minutes 59 seconds is the third-latest equalizer in the group stages of the World Cup, behind only:
Silvestre Varela for Portugal vs USA in 2014 (94 minutes 34 seconds),
Luis Hernández for Mexico vs Netherlands in 1998 (94 minutes 4 seconds).
*Julen Lopetegui became the third goalkeeper called up to a World Cup who is coaching a national team in the tournament, after:
Stanislav Cherchesov – goalkeeper for Russia at 1994 edition and coach of Russia in 2018,
Ricardo La Volpe – called up by Argentina in 1978 (did not play) and coach of Mexico in 2006.
Lopetegui was called up by Spain at 1994 (did not play) and is now coach of Qatar.
*Switzerland is the only European team at this World Cup that hasn’t called up any players from the country’s current league champions.
And they’re doing so for the third consecutive World Cup (2018 Young Boys, 2022 Zürich, 2026 Thun).
Brazil vs Morocco 1-1 (Group C)
*Brazil hold the record for most goals scored in their opening World Cup match (22 times).
They only failed to score once in their World Cup debut (0-0 against Yugoslavia in 1974).
*Brazil have gone 21 consecutive World Cups without losing their opening match (17 wins and 34draws).
Their last defeat in a World Cup debut was a 1-3 loss to Spain in 1934.
*Morocco have never won their opening match in a World Cup (4 draws, 3 defeats in 7 occasions).
Morocco tied Bulgaria as the team with the most editions played in a World Cup without ever winning a debut.
*Morocco have not lost any of their last 5 group stage matches at the World Cup (2 wins, 3 draws): their best unbeaten run in the competition in the group stage.
*Brazil put their oldest starting XI for a World Cup game (average age of 29 years 235 days) since their 2006 quarter-final against France (30 years 31 days).
*Morocco put only 1 player born in Morocco (Azzedine Ounahi) in their starting eleven.
Others were born in Spain (4), France (3), Canada, Netherlands, Belgium (one each).
During the match, as a result of substitutions, the Moroccan team did not have even a single player born in the country. This is first ever such case in the World Cup history.
*It was 9th match in World Cup history with both captains (Marquinhos and Hakimi) playing for the same club, PSG, that became the 6th club to achieve this feat.
The precedents:
1986: Scirea (Italy) vs Platini (France) – Juventus
2002: Verón (Argentina) vs Beckham (England) – Manchester United
2006: Nedved (Czechia) vs Cannavaro (Italy) – Juventus
2006: Vogel (Switzerland) vs Shevchenko (Ukraine) – Milan
2006: Raúl )Spain) vs Zidane (France) – Real Madrid
2010: Casillas (Spain) vs Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – Real Madrid
2018: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) vs Sergio Ramos (Spain) – Real Madrid
2022: Kane (England) vs Lloris (France) – Tottenham
*Achraf Hakimi is now African player with the joint-most World Cup appearances (11), along with François Oman-Biyik (Cameroon) and Asamoah Gyan (Ghana).
*Morocco scored in their opening World Cup match for the first time since 1998 (against Norway).
*Vinícius Júnior’s equaliser was the 79th goal of a Real Madrid player scored at World Cup.
No club has had more World Cup goals scored by its players (level with Bayern).
Haiti vs Scotland 0-1 (Group C)
*Both countries returned to the World Cup after a long break: Haiti after 52 years (1974-2026), Scotland after 28 (1998-2026).
Haiti’s return is joint 4th longest in the history, after:
Wales: 64 years (1958-2022)
Egypt: 56 years (1934-1990)
Norway: 56 years (1938-1994)
DR Congo (former Zaire) also returns after 52 years (1974-2026).
*Scotland’s won a game in the tournament for the first time since 1990 (vs Sweden 2-1).
*Scotland recorded their first victory against an American opponent in 10 World Cup matches (2 draws, 7 losses in the previous 9).
*Only El Salvador have played more World Cup matches (6) than Haiti (4) among teams with a 100% loss record in the competition.
However, now Haiti suffered their smallest defeat in World Cup history (others were with -2, -3 and -7 goal difference).
*Johny Placide (Haiti) became the third oldest debutant (38 years 135 days) in World Cup history among CONCACAF teams, behind only:
Atiba Hutchinson (Canada) – 39 years 288 days (in 2022)
Fernando Clavijo (USA) – 38 years 150 days (in 1994)
Australia vs Turkey 2-0 (Group D)
*Vancouver (venue of this game) is the furthest west any World Cup fixtures have ever been played.
Furthest north is Sandviken (Sweden) in 1958.
Furthest east is Sapporo (Japan) in 2002.
Furthest south is Mar del Plata (Argentina) in 1978.
*Australia became the first AFC nation to win their World Cup opening match by two goals since South Korea defeated Greece 2-0 in 2010.
*UEFA nations have lost 7 of their 13 World Cup matches against AFC nations since the 2022 edition (4 wins, 2 draws), after losing only once in 15 encounters across the previous two editions (10 wins, 4 draws).
*Turkey have lost each of their three opening matches at the World Cup (after 1-4 vs Germany in 1954 and 1-2 vs Brazil in 2002).
*Nestory Irankunda (picture) became the youngest goalscorer (20 years 124 days) in World Cup history for an AFC nation.