Why are fans whistling in Morocco World Cup game vs. Brazil? Explaining loud hiss at MetLife Stadium in 2026
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Why are fans whistling in Morocco World Cup game vs. Brazil? Explaining loud hiss at MetLife Stadium in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Morocco national team has experienced a rapid rise to global prominence over the past few years.
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The Atlas Lions reached the pinnacle of their national team history when they progressed to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup, becoming a soccer powerhouse not just of Africa but of the world.
As the team continues to trend upwards, now ranked seventh in the world by FIFA entering the 2026 World Cup, the Moroccan fanbase has also become notable amongst the global football community.
The Sporting News explains why they are extra noticeable on the television broadcast as they take on all-time World Cup great Brazil to begin the 2026 tournament.
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Why are fans whistling in Morocco game vs. Brazil?
Fans whistling during soccer matches often indicates a collective dissatisfaction with the proceedings on the pitch for one reason or another.
However, Morocco fans are well known for whistling during matches, particularly when the opponent has the ball.
They are hoping to affect the match in a few different ways. They want to distract the players on the field, to create a hostile atmosphere, and disrupt proper communication on the pitch between the opposition players and staff.
As well as an attempt to create an intimidating atmosphere, it can also generally be used to convey a dislike towards a specific player or coach, or a displeasure with a refereeing decision that is perceived as incorrect or going against your team.
The use of whistling in this manner is not common in English-speaking countries, where booing is more commonly used to express anger at certain players or decisions made by officials.
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What is the Viking clap Morocco fans do?
Another thing Morocco fans are known for is a choreographed chant called the "Viking clap."
Believed to have been popularized by Iceland fans during Euro 2016, as well as French club Lens and Scottish side Motherwell in the recent past.
The group of fans will fall completely silent, extending their arms straight out from their bodies, waiting for a signal. When that signal arrives, they will all clap in unison and yell "SIR!" which means "go" in the Moroccan dialect of Arabic known as Darija. They will repeat this process, clapping and yelling, emitting a thunderous noise each time.
Eventually, the chanting becomes quicker and more frequent, until it reaches a climax and finishes with a clap.
Morocco embraced the Viking clap during the 2022 World Cup, where they employed a drum to signal when the fans should clap.
Morocco history at the World Cup
Morocco's qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup is the nation's seventh all-time appearance at the global tournament.
The Atlas Lions first qualified for the World Cup in 1970, when they reached the final tournament for the first time having joined FIFA 10 years earlier in the aftermath of the nation's independence.
They reached the knockout stage for the first time in 1986, their second-ever World Cup, making it to the Round of 16. They would not advance to the knockouts again until 2022 when they advanced all the way to the semifinals, becoming the first African team to do so in World Cup history.