Before the start of Group C, the landscape presents a 'seeded team plus three chasers' pattern. Brazil leads at 6th in the FIFA rankings, followed closely by Morocco at 11th, Scotland at 43rd, and Haiti at 87th. The hierarchy is clear, but not entirely without suspense.
Brazil has the strongest strength on paper in the group, but their recent ranking trend has been downward. In their last five matches, they recorded a 6-2 win over Panama and a 3-1 win over Croatia, but also suffered a 1-2 loss to France and a 1-1 draw with Tunisia. Morocco, ranked 11th by FIFA and on an upward trend, won 5-0 against Burundi, 2-1 against Paraguay, and drew 1-1 with Ecuador in their last five matches, showing potential to cause an upset.
Haiti is the weakest link, ranked 87th by FIFA. In their last five matches, they only managed a 2-0 win over Nicaragua and a 1-0 win over Costa Rica, alongside a 1-1 draw with Iceland, a 0-1 loss to Tunisia, and a 0-3 loss to Honduras. Scotland is ranked 43rd; in their last five matches, they won 4-1 against Curaçao and 4-2 against Denmark, but also suffered consecutive losses to Ivory Coast, Japan, and Greece, showing significant fluctuations in form.
Key fixtures are concentrated on June 13th for Brazil vs. Morocco, June 19th for Scotland vs. Morocco, and June 24th for Scotland vs. Brazil. The variable that will likely determine the trend of Group C is whether Morocco can secure points in their two high-stakes matches.