São Paulo – This Wednesday (14), Morocco will face off against France in the FIFA World Cup semifinals with the support and responsibility of being the first Arab and African team to reach this stage of the competition. The World Cup, which this year is taking place in Qatar, had its first iteration in 1930, and ever since, no team from the African continent or any Arab country had made it this far. Morocco and France will play at the Al Bayt stadium at 10:00 pm AST (4:00 pm BRT).
In Group F, in the first stage of the World Cup, the Moroccans faced Croatia, tying 0-0, and beat Belgium 2-0 and Canada 2-1. In the round of 16, Morocco defeated Spain 3-0 in the penalty shoot-out after tying 0-0 during regulation and overtime. Next, Portugal was eliminated by the Moroccan team 1-0 in the quarterfinals. The last two victories were considered surprising due to the tradition of European teams. Spain was the world champion in 2010, and Portugal reached the semifinals in 2006.
At the Al Bayt stadium this Wednesday, Morocco will face one of the favorites to win the 2022 World Cup, reigning 2018 champion France. However, the Lion of Atlas expects to have the support of fans from Arab – including the host country itself, Qatar – and African countries. If they advance to the finals, the Moroccan team, who has already accomplished a remarkable feat, could face the winner between Croatia and Argentina in this Tuesday’s (13) match at 10:00 pm AST (4:00 pm BRT).
Despite never having made it this far in a World Cup, the Moroccans have led the way in African and Arab football alongside teams such as Tunisia and Egypt. In the International Football Federation (FIFA) ranking, Morocco has been growing recently: To 28th in 2021 from 43rd place in 2019. The Moroccans have already qualified for six World Cups and won the African and Arab Cups.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
