LOS ANGELES — Five-time champions Brazil launch their World Cup campaign on Saturday against surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco in one of the standout fixtures of the group stage.

On a day featuring four matches across the expanded 48-team tournament, Scotland return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998 to face debutants Haiti in Boston.

Elsewhere, 2022 hosts Qatar meet Switzerland in Santa Clara, while Australia take on Turkey in Vancouver to complete the schedule.

Co-hosts the United States opened their home campaign in emphatic fashion on Friday, beating Paraguay 4-1 in front of a 70,000-strong crowd in Los Angeles that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise and David Beckham.

Brazil under spotlight in New Jersey

Attention now turns to Brazil in New Jersey, with the Seleção still among the sport’s biggest global attractions despite a decline from their dominant era.

Carlo Ancelotti has been brought in to lead Brazil’s bid to end a 24-year wait for another World Cup title.

“It’s a new experience, it’s a new responsibility to represent the country of football,” the Italian said on Friday.

“We have a team that can compete with every team in the world, we’re convinced of that. It’s a team with quality and experience, and with absolute confidence that it can compete with anyone,” he added.