BOSTON, USA – Less than 24 hours before the World Cup quarter-final first leg between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium, the host city’s official FIFA fan zone has been dismantled and closed.
On Wednesday, workers dismantled scaffolding and packed away match-scoring equipment, wrapping up what appears to be the last vestiges of a World Cup party in the U.S. city known as “Titletown” in honor of the historic success of American sports.
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Then came the Moroccans.
Wearing red shirts, red and green flags and following their hot team, Moroccan supporters were seen split into small groups throughout downtown Boston starting in the early afternoon.
Fans who traveled from their home countries, the United States, and other parts of the world came to the city with the belief that Morocco would win the World Cup.
The shock of the Atlas Lions’ surprising run through the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has passed, as they defeated one big name after another before being stopped in the semi-finals by the same arch-rivals they will face on Thursday.
Players and coaches may say this game isn’t a grudge match for 2022, but fans have no qualms about claiming otherwise.
“We really believe in this team and are rooting for them to avenge the pain of 2022,” Ismael Chaouiye, who traveled from Casablanca to support the team, told Al Jazeera.
“A desire to win”
Morocco started their 2026 tournament journey nearly a month ago with an impressive 1-1 draw with Brazil inside a packed New York-New Jersey Stadium.
Since then, they have defeated Scotland and Haiti in the group stage, defeated the Netherlands on penalties in the round of 32, and defeated Canada in the last 16.
They will be playing against probably the best and most complete team in the tournament.
But for Chaoui, his friends and all the Moroccan supporters Al Jazeera spoke to, the prospect of facing the likes of French superstar Kylian Mbappé may be daunting, but that didn’t deter the team from insisting they can win.
Abdel Rahim, a Moroccan fan based in the United States, believes the current team is better organized than the 2022 squad and the coach is tactically smarter.
“They’re more eager and hungry to win and to make up for the chance they missed four years ago,” he explained as hundreds of other fans sang and danced around him at the Boston Common, a famous park located in the heart of the city.
Rahim, who has closely followed the Lions’ progress over the years, said head coach Mohamed Ouabi must not give Mbappé or France a chance to settle into the game.
The African giants were dealt a huge blow when coach Waabi confirmed that striker Ismael Saibari will miss the quarter-finals as he continues to injure his hamstring in the previous game.
However, Rahim believes it could be a cheeky move on the coach’s part to keep the Frenchman guessing.
“Maybe our coach has a surprise in store for France? But even if Saibari does not play, there are 25 other players in the team who are ready to give their all for Morocco.”
“FIFA, be fair”
As the sun set on a crisp Boston evening, locals from their daily runs and picnics along the Charles River in the city center headed home for the weeknight.
But a few hundred meters away, a crowd had gathered on the Boston Common and the pre-game party was just beginning.
The Parkman Bandstand, a rotunda typically used as a central hub for public concerts and park gatherings, was occupied by Moroccan fans, leaning against pillars as they sang the team’s anthem and waved large flags.
Groups of couples, friends, and families gathered around the young men and women, with their wide-eyed children in tow.
A tall fan walked through the crowd holding a large placard, attracting attention as he sang and danced.
“FIFA, be fair. Morocco will do the rest,” his sign read.
As he later introduced himself, Saeed Kuhail was a self-proclaimed die-hard Moroccan supporter who lives in the United States but couldn’t afford tickets to the quarterfinals.
He said he plans to cheer on his team from afar, but is concerned that the referee’s decisions could affect the outcome of the match.
“I made this sign after the result yesterday between Argentina and Egypt,” he said, referring to the VAR controversy that tarnished Argentina’s 3-2 victory in the last-16 match in Atlanta on Tuesday.
But that wasn’t the only reason Kuhail sent a very direct message to sports governing bodies.
“We also had in mind the match (World Cup, France vs. Morocco) in Doha in 2022, where a clear penalty was not awarded and France went on to win,” he explained.
Looking ahead to the Boston rematch, his prediction was clear: “If it’s a fair game, we’ll win. We need fair and neutral referees, and we’ll do the rest.”
Morocco’s red could be seen in most of Boston on the eve of the quarterfinals, but French fans found Morocco’s absence odd.
Perhaps they were staying away from the downtown area, where even the roads were occupied by Moroccan supporters.
Those who couldn’t join the revelers in the park drove to the party, honking their horns as they drove through busy intersections as the national anthem blared on stereos and flags were displayed on cars.
Around 10pm (2am on Thursday, Japan time), a group of cars pulled up in front of a row of halal restaurants packed with customers wearing Moroccan shirts, and young people turned the street corner into a mini-stadium.
They sang variations of the song “Dima Maghreb,” a song popularized by soccer fans for their team, as well as their own interpretation of the Scottish fans’ chant “No Scotland, no party.”
Improvised fireworks, street dance-offs, and endless Moroccan parties had passersby stopping to photograph and join the fans.
The raucous celebration lasted for an hour, and it took at least five Boston police vehicles to finish the night’s celebrations.
The singing, dancing and roaring will be louder and last longer if the Atlas Lions defeat the tournament favorites on Thursday.
