Brazil defeated Panama 6-2 in a World Cup warm-up friendly on May 31 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Vinicius Jr opened the scoring for Brazil within two minutes and assisted Casemiro’s goal in the first half, setting the tone for the home side. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Other Brazilian goals came from Rayan, Lucas Paqueta, Igor Thiago—who converted a penalty—and Danilo. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Panama scored twice, with their goals coming from a Michael Murillo free kick deflected by Matheus Cunha and a late strike by Carlos Harvey. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Despite the scoreline, Panama showed resilience against a strong Brazilian squad.
Brazil played without key players Neymar, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marquinhos, and Gabriel Martinelli due to injury and recent Champions League final duties. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Coach Carlo Ancelotti made nearly a complete team change at halftime, leaving only center back Leo Pereira on the field for the second half. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Ancelotti said, "It was a beautiful night, we have to thank the fans, the atmosphere they created, it was a tremendous injection of confidence. I know perfectly well that we started well, with a good attitude and commitment." [3] He added, "The work started well in these days, but the work is not only commitment and attitude, it is about being strong, resilient, every day, whether in good or bad moments, in order to finish well." [3]
Brazil will face Egypt in a friendly next weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, before beginning their 2026 World Cup Group C campaign against Morocco on June 13. [1, 2, 4, 5] Panama, meanwhile, is set to play warm-up matches against the Dominican Republic and Bosnia before their World Cup debut against Ghana on June 16 in Group L alongside England, Croatia, and Ghana. [1, 2, 4]
