Morocco did its job by knocking out Cameroon, and now the whole country is looking toward Marrakech, where Algeria face Nigeria this Saturday.
In a twist, many Atlas Lions fans are openly cheering for the Fennecs, hoping for explosive “brothers’ derby” in the semifinals.
In Rabat and across the kingdom, conversations revolve around one thing: a potential Maghreb showdown next Wednesday. For that to happen, Algeria must first get past Nigeria in the quarterfinal.
“I support Algeria just so we can face them and beat them,” says one Moroccan fan quoted by RMC, capturing the mix of brotherhood and fierce sporting rivalry that some compare to a PSG–OM or Barcelona–Real clash.
Memories of the 2004 Afcon quarterfinal, when Morocco beat Algeria 3-1 after extra time, and the 4-0 win in Marrakech in 2011 still fuel confidence and banter among supporters. But hosting the tournament also brings heavy pressure on Walid Regragui’s team, something people “feel in the streets and in families.”
Fans know Algeria would have nothing to lose and everything to gain by dethroning Morocco at home, yet many still dream of what one supporter calls “the best semifinal in history” if the long-awaited derby finally happens.
