“In the Ivory Coast and in Gabon, every second of the tournament you felt that you were in a tournament,” Broos said. Others, however, felt Broos’ comments carried the stench of European essentialism. The tournament felt shared. Morocco, as host, was always going to struggle to replicate that environment. When you host as often as Morocco has, and when you have a World Cup on the horizon, novelty can fade.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 03, 2026 06:41 UTC