Morocco have made headlines by becoming the first African or Arab nation to qualify for the semifinals of a FIFA World Cup. But while the mood has been fervent from Casablanca to Tangiers, the celebrations have spilled across the world throughout the vast Moroccan diaspora.
The moment Achraf Hakimi volleyed a Panenka past Spanish keeper Unai Simón led to thousands of Montrealers of Moroccan or North African heritage to instinctively descended upon St. Michel and Jean-Talon, an area nicknamed Le Petit-Maghreb. When the Atlas Lions upset Ronaldo and Portugal in the quarterfinals, the streets became blocked with honking cars and a seemingly endless sea of people draped with Moroccan flags.
