Brazil fields oldest starting XI in World Cup history against Morocco

Brazil’s opening World Cup match against Morocco on June 13 features a starting lineup with the highest average age of any Brazilian XI in World Cup history since 2006. It’s a deliberate gamble by manager Carlo Ancelotti, one that trades youth and pace for something harder to quantify: the steadiness that comes from players who’ve been through it all before.

The match, taking place at New York/New Jersey Stadium, marks only the second time these two nations have met on football’s biggest stage. The first encounter, back in 1998, ended 3-0 in Brazil’s favor.

Ancelotti’s old guard takes the pitch

His starting XI against Morocco reads like a who’s-who of players who’ve spent the better part of a decade at the top of the sport: Alisson in goal, Marquinhos anchoring the defense, Casemiro controlling the midfield, and Vinicius Junior providing the cutting edge in attack.

At 25, Vinicius Junior is arguably one of the younger members of this squad, which tells you everything you need to know about Ancelotti’s selection philosophy.

Morocco is no longer a pushover

Morocco’s run to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they became the first African nation ever to reach that stage, fundamentally changed how the footballing world views them.

What this means beyond the pitch

Kraken, one of the largest crypto exchanges globally, has signed on as an official crypto exchange partner for the tournament. The partnership appears to be a branding play rather than a deep integration. There’s no indication of specific tokens being featured, no fan token tie-ins being promoted as part of the match experience, and no blockchain-based ticketing announcements accompanying the sponsorship.

For traders and investors watching the crypto markets, major sporting event sponsorships have historically created short-term sentiment boosts for the sponsoring platforms. The Super Bowl ad wave of 2022, featuring companies like FTX and Crypto.com, generated significant brand awareness. Kraken’s positioning here is notably different: the exchange has maintained a more conservative reputation than some of its flashier competitors, and its survival through multiple market cycles gives this particular sponsorship a different flavor than previous crypto-sports deals.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.