Belgium's Charles De Ketelaere fights for the ball during a soccer game between Belgium's national team the Red Devils and Morocco, in Group F of the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, State of Qatar, on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022. BELGA PHOTO VIRGINIE LEFOUR
MONTREAL – Members of Montreal’s Moroccan community are packing bars and cafés across the city today for the Canada-Morocco match at the World Cup in Qatar.
The excitement will be particularly palpable in “Little Maghreb,” a district north of downtown where immigrants from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia have been moving to since the 1990s.
Canada is playing for pride today after the team lost to Croatia on Sunday and was eliminated from the knockout round.
But Morocco – which is making its sixth appearance at the World Cup – is in a strong position to make it to the knockout stage.
Abderrahman El Fouladi, 70, who arrived in Canada 31 years ago, says that he will be cheering on both teams surrounded by his Canadian-Moroccan family.
He said that whatever the outcome, Canada will be represented one way or another as Morocco’s goalie, Yassine Bounou, was born in Montreal and is Canadian-Moroccan.
Canada and Morocco have faced each other three previous times, with Morocco winning twice and the teams drawing once.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2022.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
