Morocco’s World Cup Success Unites North African Fans Ahead of France Clash

The Algerian team is not present at the World Cup taking place in Qatar, but the supporters are showing interest in the competition. Behind this enthusiasm are the exploits achieved by the Atlas Lions, who have secured their first qualification for the World Cup semi-finals. "They tell me they are fully behind us. They are fair play," Bouchra Adiel, co-manager of a pastry shop in Algiers, specializing in Moroccan culinary preparations, and a 38-year-old binational entrepreneur born in Fez and living in Algeria for about ten years, told the newspaper Le Monde. And she continued: "I even received a congratulatory text message from a regular customer after the victory over Portugal."

According to Nadia, a 45-year-old doctor, this is a "natural support due to our geographical and cultural proximity". "We are like cousins," estimates Salah, a 40-year-old executive from Oued Souf, in the south of the country. He watches "with pleasure" the matches of Morocco, which is succeeding in its participation in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. "They are succeeding where we have failed," he says. "Originally, before the creation of the States, we were a single united people. Despite the disagreements between the rulers, the Algerian and Moroccan peoples have remained close," considers Mehdi Larbi, behind the counter of his business, hoping that this fraternal momentum will last beyond the competition.