Moroccan fans celebrated on Tuesday, as the Atlas Lions qualified for the FIFA World Cup Quater Finals after beating Spain 3-0 in penalties. Yassine Bounou and Achraf Hakimi were heroes of the night as Morocco became the first Arab country and fourth African team to ever make it to the quarter-finals in the history of the football championships.
The Atlas Lions who had never made it past the group stage in all 6 World Cup appearances, reached the knockout rounds last week after beating Canada 2–1 to finish top of their group. Morocco last reached the knockout phase in 1986, and their last World Cup appearance, four years ago, ended in the group stage.
In Qatar, where the home team, along with Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, have already been knocked out, Morocco now carries the mantle for an Arab world that has cheered victories by Arab teams against some of the tournament favorites. While Morocco is a proud member of the Arab League, the country has also, in recent decades, embraced its African identity and Berber lineage, enshrining Amazigh as an official language.
Morocco qualified for the FIFA World Cup by winning all six games against Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Sudan in the second round of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualifying to advance to the third round. They beat the Democratic Republic of the Congo 5–2 over two legs, which booked their spot in Qatar.
