As the primary African or Arab staff to succeed in the World Cup semifinals, the Moroccan staff, generally known as the Atlas Lions, made historical past and was one of many massive success tales of this 12 months’s event, the primary hosted by an Arab nation.

Big crowds had been within the streets of the Moroccan capital, Rabat, and the remainder of the North African kingdom for the homecoming. After the staff beat former European colonial powers Belgium, Spain and Portugal, it misplaced to France within the semifinals. Its record-setting efficiency means the gamers are prone to obtain a hero’s welcome.

“Morocco’s run in the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be remembered in the history books as one of the most exciting campaigns since the tournament’s inception,” café proprietor Reda Ghazi, 27, advised The Associated Press. “It was the dream of every Moroccan to win something, especially because Morocco is a country where the passion for football is overwhelming.”

After their airplane touches down, the gamers are set to journey an open-top bus by way of the key avenues of the capital. The royal court docket mentioned Monday that King Mohammed VI would obtain the staff on the palace in Rabat “to celebrate their great and historic accomplishment.”

Morocco completed fourth within the competitors after dropping to Croatia 1-2 within the third-place play-off on Saturday, exceeding the expectations of most Moroccans.

“I still can’t wrap my head around what happened in this World Cup,” added pupil Anour El Berkaoui, 23. “The team has now set the bar so high that we won’t be happy with anything less than winning the upcoming African Cup of Nations.”

The Moroccan staff charmed many Arab soccer followers who noticed within the staff a mirrored image of themselves. Players waved the Palestinian flag after their wins and celebrated on the sphere with their moms and youngsters.

The staff additionally galvanized help throughout Africa.

“As an African team, we broke a lot of records and made the whole continent proud,” Rabat resident Omar Zorgane mentioned .

“Morocco as a whole will gain a lot from this year’s World Cup, from tourism to getting the attention of other countries to possibly hosting one of the biggest tournaments in the world in the future,” he mentioned.