From early evening, the departure hall at Mohammed V Airport buzzed with the atmosphere of a fan zone. Hundreds of Moroccans from across the kingdom gathered in a festive mood, waving national flags, wearing the Atlas Lions’ red shirts, and singing in unison.
The excitement continued once the aircraft doors closed. On board, chants quickly echoed through the cabin as passengers sang the traditional “Sir... Sir” and “Dima Maghrib,” transforming the flight to the United States into a prelude to the celebrations anticipated on Saturday at NRG Stadium.
Scheduled to depart Casablanca at 6 p.m. (Moroccan time), the aircraft is expected to land at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston around 1 a.m. (local time) after crossing the Atlantic with 316 supporters determined to make their voices heard in the stands.
Before boarding, several supporters expressed their excitement about witnessing the historic occasion. They all shared the same objective: to stand behind Mohamed Ouahbi’s men and cheer them on to a place in the quarterfinals.
This flight was the third operated by Royal Air Maroc on Thursday. Two earlier flights had already departed Casablanca for Houston at 6 a.m. and 10 a.m.
In total, the national carrier has scheduled 12 special flights between Casablanca and the Texas city following Morocco’s qualification for the round of 16. More than 3,000 seats have been made available to supporters in an unprecedented operation, as Royal Air Maroc had never previously operated a direct service to Houston.
Tickets for the special flights were offered at a fixed round-trip fare of 10,000 DH TTC in economy class, enabling as many supporters as possible to join the Atlas Lions for this World Cup occasion.
Morocco will face Canada on Saturday, July 4, at 6 p.m. (Moroccan time) at NRG Stadium in Houston, with a place in the quarterfinals at stake. If they qualify, the Atlas Lions will meet the winner of the match between France and Paraguay.
To reach this stage of the competition, Achraf Hakimi’s teammates had to battle until the very end against the Netherlands. Trailing late in the match, they equalized before prevailing 3-2 in the penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw following regulation and extra time. During the group stage, Mohamed Ouahbi’s side first held Brazil to a 1-1 draw before defeating Scotland 1-0 and Haiti 4-2.
The Atlas Lions celebrate Issa Diop's equaliser against the Netherlands during their 2026 FIFA World Cup round-of-32 match in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 30.
Canada, meanwhile, booked its place in the round of 16 with a 1-0 victory over South Africa. During the group stage, Jesse Marsch’s side drew 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina, thrashed Qatar 6-0, and then lost 2-1 to Switzerland.
