Paris celebrates win after high-stakes World Cup clash with Morocco

Fans flocked to Paris’ frigid Champs-Elysees street on Wednesday following the emotional World Cup semifinal between France and Morocco, which “Les Bleus” triumphed 2-0 to advance to the final for the second consecutive tournament.

The two countries share a history that has shaped their identities and politics and led to an occasionally tense relationship. This history is deeply entwined by their colonial ties and post-war flows of migrant labor from North Africa to France.

There is a sizable Moroccan community in France, and many of them are dual citizens.

“We preferred to come early because it will be chaos later on. We just want to celebrate our win and we can really feel it will get crazy,” said student Kerene Massuka who came with a friend carrying a French flag.

As spectators set off fireworks, they were surrounded by hundreds of police vehicles that were securing the area.

After the final whistle, crowds of fans from both nations could be seen entering the Christmas-decorated avenue, where authorities were preparing for tens of thousands despite temperatures near 0 Celsius.

On both sides, the stakes were very high.

Morocco had a chance to make history by reaching the World Cup final as the first country from Africa, but France is now in position to become the first team to successfully defend its World Cup title in 60 years on Sunday.

Police in Paris were preparing for potential clashes after last week’s Moroccan victory over Portugal in the quarterfinals, which was followed by altercations.

10 000 police officers will be mobilized nationwide, with 5 000 of them placed in the Ile-de-France region near Paris and about 2 200 in the capital, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced on France 2 television. This is double the security personnel for earlier key World Cup matches.

Since their team embarked on its historic World Cup journey and became the first African and Arab team to advance to the final four in the international showcase event, Morocco fans in France have been in a celebratory frenzy.

Although most celebrations have been peaceful, there have been isolated incidents involving Morocco supporters and law enforcement, especially on the Champs-Elysees.

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