Morocco Becomes First-Ever Arab Country To Earn Spot in World Cup Quarterfinals

Morocco has become the first Arab country ever to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals. The Moroccan national team, known as the Atlas Lions, earned the spot after defeating geographic neighbor Spain on Tuesday night in a penalty shootout after a scoreless Round of 16 match during regulation play at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar. The team will face either Portugal or Switzerland in the quarterfinals. A Moroccan journalist burst into tears of joy after the team scored during the penalty round, the New York Times reported. Following the team’s victory, several of Morocco’s players took to the field to celebrate by waving Moroccan and Palestinian flags, one of many actions that Arab countries have taken during the World Cup in solidarity with the Palestinians. Morocco normalized relations with Israel in 2020 after signing the Abraham Accords. Morocco and Spain are separated by the 13-km Strait of Gibraltar. Migrants seeking to reach Europe often travel through Morocco and cross the strait to reach Spain, a member of the European Union.