admin Egypt and Morocco are carrying the African and Arab hopes with their never-say-die attitude at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
After Egypt defeated Australia on Friday, Morocco joined them a day later in celebration with their win over Canada in their own den.
They are the only two African and Arab nations left in the soccer spectacle. A total of 10 African countries – Algeria, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia – qualified for the expanded 48-team World Cup.
This was the biggest representation of Africa in World Cup history so far. Out of the 10 countries, nine managed to advance to the round of 32.
All of them were eliminated one-by-one gradually. Only Egypt and Morocco could manage to survive the onslaught and remained in the contest by moving into the last 16 and quarter-final respectively. The final whistle sent the entire Arab world and African countries into a state of euphoria. The streets of not only Morocco but also all the Arab countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Algeria and Kuwait burst into celebration.
The social media platforms were inundated with the messages and tributes. Leading the tribute after the victory was none other than His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Sheikh Mohammed took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to send the congratulatory messages to both the countries. He congratulated Morocco on their historic achievement.
“Heartfelt congratulations to the Atlas Lions on today’s victory and their qualification for the World Cup quarter-finals. A powerful performance and a fighting spirit that fill us with joy and pride. Congratulations to the brotherly people of Morocco and to my brother, His Majesty King Mohammed VI. We wish them every success in their upcoming matches,” he said.
The UAE leader’s message reflected strong regional solidarity, as he extended greetings to both the Arab nations. Sheikh Mohammed also congratulated Egypt for their victory in a knockout match versus Australia.
Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi celebrates after scoring a goal against Canada on Saturday. AFP
“Congratulations to the Egyptian people and their leadership on the Egyptian national team’s qualification for the Round of 16 in the World Cup…” he said.
“The joy of the Arab world today is Egyptian… a heroic performance… a fighting spirit… and an enjoyable match for the Pharaohs… All the best to all Arabs… all the joy to our Arab peoples.”
After the match, people came out on the streets to celebrate the achievement. These fans did not belong to one country. They transcended the realm of borders and celebrated in unison.
“I am so happy and delighted after Morocco’s victory. God willing, we’ll reach the semi-finals and the final — and why not win the Cup, too,” said Khadija Ouassou, who is a Moroccan national and works in Sharjah. Khadija is a die-hard soccer fan.
“We are on cloud nine. Second time, our team has reached the quarters in succession. We hope our team can repeat the performance of Qatar World Cup and go on to play in semis and final and win the Cup also,” said Mohammed Harris, who is also a Moroccan.
Another fan, Ali Mohammed from Egypt, who was wearing Mohamed Salah’s jersey, described Egypt’s victory as groundbreaking.
“This is a big moment for all the Egyptians and the Arabs. For the first time, not only Egypt played in the knockouts but also registered their first win in the playoffs. We hope our hero Salah can take us deeper into the tournament,” said Mohammed.
