Moroccans scrambled on Friday to get seats on the seven additional flights that state carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has announced to help soccer fans get to Qatar for the World Cup quarter final against Portugal.
Morocco, the last African country left in the tournament and the first Arab country to ever reach the quarter finals, has been gripped by excitement at the team's World Cup performance, with victories over highly ranked Spain and Belgium.
At home, the main fan zones with big screens are at a Casablanca stadium and in Marrakech, where a screen has been put up in the Jmaa al-Fnaa square, a UNESCO world heritage site.
During the match against Spain, the Jmaa al-Fnaa was hung with flags and throbbed to the chants of 30,000 fans, said Abdelmakel El Mansouri a member of the city council.
"We are expecting a similar or higher number of fans during the game against Portugal," Reuters quoted him as saying.
Fans attending the Casablanca stadium zone need to get there three hours early for a place, one of the organizers said.
Across the country, shops and stalls are doing a roaring trade in flags, national team shirts and T-shirts.\ "Looking at how many T-shirts I have sold, I wish the World Cup lasted forever,” said Zouhir Sabir, a shop keeper in the old center of Rabat. The price of clothes with national symbols had risen about 30% due to high demand, he said.
"Now you see people dressed normally. On the day of the match most people will be wearing colors of the national flag and football jerseys," he said.
