Excitement among Moroccan football fans in the UAE is reaching fever pitch as their team enter the final game of their Women’s World Cup group stages.
Victory in their final group fixture against Colombia on Thursday (2pm, UAE time) could see the Atlas Lionesses advance to the knockout stages - the first for an Arab side that is making a nice habit of creating history at this year's tournament.
Supporters in the UAE have spoken of the pride they share in their side's achievements in the Women's World Cup.
The entire world will be watching, but most importantly, Morocco will be cheering
Hicham Hansali
The mood among fans is one of hope, fuelled by their nation's dramatic win over South Korea last week.
Football in Morocco is in the limelight right now. It was in December the nation made everyone sit up and take notice by making the semi-finals of the men's World Cup in Qatar.
The women's Morocco team has already made history, becoming the first Arab nation to qualify for a Women's World Cup. Fans based in the UAE are hoping there is more to come.
“We are proud to be the first Arab team to ever participate in a Women's World Cup. They might make history at this tournament like our men did in Qatar last year,” said Moufdi Karim.
“We lived our best moment with the men's team and our hope is the women's team will bring back that joy to all Arab nations.”
The 47-year-old Dubai-based fan said Morocco has talented players but their match against Colombia would be a tough encounter.
The task ahead is especially daunting as Morocco suffered a heavy defeat to Germany in their opening fixture.
The same German side were beaten by Colombia in the next game.
“Despite Colombia defeating Germany, everything is possible in football and we can beat Colombia to qualify to the knockout stage," he said.
"We have skilled players and some of them are playing in top European clubs, too.”
Even if the results do not go Morocco's way on Thursday, the side has already created more history.
Nouhaila Benzina became the first player to wear a hijab at a World Cup in the game against South Korea.
“We are making history. Our player Nouhaila Benzina became the first to wear a hijab during a match," said Mr Karim.
Hicham Hansali, 49, a football coach at Al Wasl FC in Dubai, spoke of the excitement the women's team had created.
“What the women did in this World Cup will be in our minds forever, especially after winning [against] South Korea," said Mr Hansali.
"That win revived the confidence among the players after losing their first match against Germany."
He said the chances of qualifying for the next phase were slim as they need to beat Colombia and hope Germany lose against South Korea. The two matches will kick off simultaneously.
However, he refused to be anything but positive.
“The entire world will be watching, but most importantly, Morocco will be cheering,” he added.
Mahid Ali, a 32-year-old Moroccan fan based in Sharjah, said he was disappointed when the team lost against Germany but after their latest win, the fans have united in optimism.
“Excitement and enthusiasm are reaching a fever pitch. Moroccans from all walks of life have come together to show their unwavering support, with the male team's achievement still in our memory,” Mr Ali said.
He said he would go to a cafe in Dubai to watch the match with his friends, bringing along their national flag.
“As Morocco will face the world's best teams, they can rest assured that an entire nation stands firmly behind them, cheering them on as they aim to make more history,” he added.
The rise of the Moroccan women’s team goes hand-in-hand with the success of the country's female referees, who have made huge strides in breaking the long-standing male monopoly on football officiating.
Three female Moroccan football referees, Bouchra Karboubi, Fatiha Jermoumi and Soukaina Hamdi, were selected for the Women’s World Cup.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Results
Women finals: 48kg - Urantsetseg Munkhbat (MGL) bt Distria Krasniqi (KOS); 52kg - Odette Guiffrida (ITA) bt Majlinda Kelmendi (KOS); 57kg - Nora Gjakova (KOS) bt Anastasiia Konkina (Rus)
Men’s finals: 60kg - Amiran Papinashvili (GEO) bt Francisco Garrigos (ESP); 66kg - Vazha Margvelashvili (Geo) bt Yerlan Serikzhanov (KAZ)
RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
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Wins by KO: 26
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
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A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
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2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
The biog
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
