It’s a game so simple that children can play it. 22 people run around a field, kicking a ball to their teammates, trying to get that ball into the opposing team’s net. Like a zen koan, complexity emerges from simplicity. Life itself, with its heights of tension and emotion, heroics and failures, is played out on the pitch. The epic stories of professional association football are matched only by the tales of Ancient Greek drama. There’s a reason that close to half the world’s population watched the World Cup in 2018: Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) reported that 3.6 billion people saw these matches on television four year ago, contributing to the World Cup’s legacy as the most widely viewed single sporting event in history.
As a quadrennial event, the World Cup was set to return this year. Usually played in the summer, it was delayed until the end of the year because of its location, Qatar – which, being mostly desert, features dangerous levels of heat and humidity in the summer months. Despite controversies over the selection of host country, criticism of Qatar’s human rights record, and claims of bribery and corruption among FIFA officials, the matches went ahead in a surprisingly smooth fashion. 32 teams representing 32 countries squared off in round-robin-style matches (the group stage) that whittled the competition down to 16 teams. In the next round of matches (the knockout stage), one team in particular – the Moroccan national football team – made history.
Morocco has played in 6 World Cups including this year’s. Their best performance before 2022 came in 1986, when they were the first African national team to finish at the top of a group and the first to reach the knockout stage. They were quickly eliminated during a close match with West Germany, in which they lost 0-1. Morocco would fail to make it past the group stage in the next 3 World Cups, but this year they didn’t just make it into the knockout stage. They made it all the way to the semi-finals, finishing fourth overall – the best performance ever for an African nation in the World Cup. Not bad for a team no one expected even to qualify.
It all began with Morocco tying Croatia in their first match of the group stage. They went on to defeat Belgium and Canada to finish at the top of their group and advance to the knockout stage, where they faced tough competitors in Spain and Portugal. The match against Spain went to a penalty shoot-out, and Morocco was able to win 3 shots to Spain’s 0. Their most remarkable victory came in the quarter-finals against Portugal, which was heavily favored to win. Despite dominating possession of the ball for most of the match and having superstar player Cristiano Ronaldo join in the fun halfway through, Portugal was unable to answer Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri’s single goal at the 42nd minute. Morocco won 1-0, shocking and delighting football fans everywhere.
Morocco advanced to the semi-finals to face France, the defending World Cup champions (France defeated Croatia to win the World Cup in 2018). Unfortunately for Morocco, France scored just five minutes into the match, then again near the end of play. Morocco was unable to score a goal and was officially eliminated, but not before having taken down the Goliaths of Spain and Portugal in Davidian fashion. It is an incredible achievement, and Moroccans around the world are celebrating the successes of their national team.
Youssef, a water treatment and maintenance technician who hails from Morocco and now lives in Massachusetts, told us, “All the Arabic-speaking people of Africa are happy. The victories of the Moroccan team made people forget their daily worries, high prices, and difficulty of living.” Even in their defeat, Youssef still sees the positive: “Morocco did not win the World Cup, but at least we reached fourth place.”
Other Moroccan football fans are reminded of 1986, and find Morocco’s 2022 fourth-place finish even sweeter because of it. Naoufal, a systems engineer from Morocco who works at Mass General Brigham, said, “The last time Morocco passed the group stage dates back to 1986 in Mexico – this year it broke that record and sets a new one by reaching the semi-finals…I find this World Cup to be exceptional, joyous, and unforgettable. We made history as the first African and Arab nation to reach the semi-finals, and be among the big four teams.”
Abdallah, a teacher from Morocco, echoed these thoughts while reflecting on Morocco’s history under Spanish and French rule: “It was exciting to see Morocco reaching the levels that were forbidden for the formerly colonized countries. The 1986 World Cup…triggered a huge debate about the European hegemony in FIFA. Since then, Africa sent five nations to the World Cup and Asia two.” Morocco’s exceptional performance during this World Cup “gave hope to its people and people around the world,” Abdallah continued, “and we hope that Morocco’s heroic exploit this year will shake FIFA again and bring a wind of change.”
It was not only Morocco that watched their national team play, of course. Much of the rest of the world cheered them on after their big wins. The Belgian, Spanish, and Croatian teams all spoke positively of the Moroccan team, and people from Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, and Kuwait celebrated in the streets of their cities. Palestinians raised the Moroccan flag in Gaza City. This diverse support was not lost on the Moroccan people. Naouful, reflecting on the World Cup, said, “I am so thrilled by the support we met from individuals and nations around the world, cheering and wishing luck to Morocco in this World Cup. That only shows how football brings us all together and makes us enjoy and cherish the achievement.” For the past few weeks, much of the world has experienced these joys and sorrows together, and no matter what team you support, Morocco’s successes should give everyone a little hope.
