Smiles around as Morocco, Brazil share the spoils with Knick making history | World Cup 2026 news

East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States – They have been named as the national team’s nominees for the 2026 World Cup – and they have lived up to their expectations.

Brazil and Morocco met in front of a crowd of more than 80,000 fans on Saturday and, with two amazing goals in the first half and the end of the match, they lit up the stadium in New York New Jersey.

But a 1-1 draw it was the first half of a night of popular sports in the bistate area.

When the referee’s whistle blew inside the court, local fans rushed to make sure they didn’t miss Game 5 of the NBA Finals, where the New York Knicks. sealed an impressive late victory against the San Antonio Spurs to capture their first championship since 1973.

Tens of thousands of Brazilian fans, a handful of Moroccan fans and tens of thousands of New Yorkers all joined together as sport took the front seat in both countries.

Earlier, about four hours before the start of the game, the first group of football fans started arriving at the Secaucus train station in New Jersey to go to the stadium in East Rutherford.

After paying a $98 round-trip ticket to the stadium from New York or New Jersey, the fans rushed into the stadium as volunteers, security officials and bystanders looked on in excitement.

As soon as they left the venue, the fans brought out their drums, saxophones and good singing voices to create excitement.

Brazilians danced their way from the train exit to the stadium entrance, often pausing along the way to take photos or join their Moroccan counterparts in singing.

The Brazilian fans walked away with confidence, hoping that the five-time world champions would start winning.

“We are not worried about our team’s chances. We know they will win,” Brazilian fan Ricardo, who goes by one name, told Al Jazeera.

Some Moroccans, however, were less certain of a big result against the South American giants.

“I know many fans are expecting us to go through to the finals after our team’s performance in 2022, but I think this team is weak,” said Tareq Bouiber, looking at what Morocco did in Qatar four years ago when it became the first African team and the first Arab team to reach the finals of the World Cup.

As the game approached on Saturday, the party moved inside the stadium, and the noise got louder.

The 82,000-capacity stadium was transformed into a sea of ​​yellow as red bags were thrown inside as Brazil’s Carlo Ancelotti enjoyed the support of loyal and occasional fans.

Incessant singing and chanting in Portuguese, accompanied by the beating of drums, drowned out any other noise.

However, it was Morocco who dominated play on the pitch and were rewarded for their presence when Ismail Saibari opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a beautiful shot.

The goal sent the red sides of the stadium into a frenzy as chants of “Viva Maghreb” filled the air.

In an effort to push their team to an equaliser, the Brazilians raised their voices and chants, encouraging the players to continue with the “Ole, ole, ole” chant.

It took just 11 minutes for striker Vinicius Jr to find space inside the Moroccan box and send the ball flying into the top right corner to draw 1-1.

Both teams battled but failed to create much effort until extra time in the second half when Morocco missed an easy chance to win.

After the match ended, the Brazilian fans seemed very disappointed with the two camps while the Moroccan fans insisted that it was another sign that their team could go.

“We will do better than last time to reach the finals,” Sana Bourada, who traveled from Washington, DC, to the stadium with her family, said after the game.

However, both teams left with smiles on their faces.

Some of them, who crossed the Hudson River during the opening match of the World Cup between Brazil and Morocco, joined forces in preparation for the final basketball tournament.

“Let’s go to the Knicks” became a popular chant as fans flocked to watch the series-clinching best-of-seven game.

About three hours later, the Knicks’ 94-90 victory was greeted with singing, dancing and fireworks that could be heard in both countries.