Norway fans celebrate win with viral Viking Row alongside players
After a 3–2 win over Senegal, Norway fans join players in their viral ‘Viking Row’ at New York/New Jersey Stadium and carry it beyond the stadium.
MONTERREY, Mexico — For 25 minutes on June 13, Morocco made history. In the team’s 1-1 draw against Brazil that day, Morocco became the first team in World Cup history to feature a lineup of players who were all born outside of the country they were representing.
Against Haiti in the group stage, only one of Morocco’s 11 starters was born in Morocco. The rest of the players were born in Spain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Canada.
When Morocco clashes with the Netherlands in the round of 32, this trend will continue. Captain Achraf Hakimi was born in Madrid, goalkeeper Yassine “Bono” Bounou was born in Montreal, Brahim Díaz grew up in Málaga, Sofyan Amrabat was born in the Netherlands, and Bilal El Khannouss was raised in Belgium, to name a few.
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Morocco’s leading scorer at the 2026 World Cup, Ismael Saibari, was born in Spain and raised in Belgium. His decision to represent the Atlas Lions was about more than just what was offered on the pitch.
“When you choose a national team, it has to come from the heart,” said Saibari after Morocco’s match against Scotland on June 19. “It shouldn’t be a strategic decision about where you’ll have more chances.”
Even Morocco’s head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, was born in Belgium and has dual citizenship. He chose to lead the Atlas Lions in 2023.
“For me, Belgium is an important country, and the only four times I rooted against them were when they played Morocco,” Ouahbi said.
Despite the international presence of the Moroccan squad, Ouahbi knows his players want to play for the nation they represent on the pitch.
“First and foremost, they’re Moroccan and they want to win for Morocco,” said Ouahbi. “I don’t want them to be too emotional and act on it on the pitch.”
Evan Waldman is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
