Day two of the World Cup produced two contrasting host-nation stories. At BMO Field in Toronto — Canada’s first-ever men’s World Cup match on home soil — the hosts fell behind to a Jovo Lukić header for Bosnia and Herzegovina. But in the 78th minute, Cyle Larin struck a beautiful effort from inside the box that deflected in to level the score, securing Canada’s first-ever World Cup point after going 0-6 across their three previous tournament appearances (1986 and 2022).

Later, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the United States produced a statement performance, beating Paraguay 4-1 in front of a roaring home crowd. Mauricio Pochettino’s side dominated with 63% possession and 17 shots to Paraguay’s 8. The standout moment came from Gio Reyna, who curled in a spectacular trivela finish to put the result beyond doubt — a dream home debut for the USMNT.

Attention now turns to tonight’s marquee fixture: Brazil face Morocco at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in Group C. Morocco, who famously knocked out both Portugal and Spain en route to the semi-finals in 2022, remain one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament. But for Brazil, the headline news is the absence of Neymar.

For Brazil, this World Cup represents an attempt to end their longest title drought since 1950 — 24 years and counting since their last triumph in 2002. Under Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, the Seleção enter with renewed structure, even amid Neymar’s farewell-tour absence tonight. Vinícius Júnior, who scored 16 La Liga goals last season, is expected to carry the attacking burden. Morocco, meanwhile, remain a side capable of shocks — their run to the 2022 semi-finals, eliminating both Portugal and Spain along the way, makes them one of the tournament’s most dangerous underdogs.

For football fans in Bangladesh, nearly every major World Cup fixture this tournament falls in the dead of night or early morning — as it always has. Tonight’s Brazil vs Morocco clash, kicking off at 4:00 AM Bangladesh time, sits firmly in “night owl” territory. Even without Neymar, this is a fixture worth losing sleep over: Morocco were the standout story of the 2022 World Cup, and a repeat performance against a five-time champion missing its biggest star would make for one of the group stage’s defining moments.