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Rabat – Social media platform X has seen a wave of “hate watch” posts targeting the Atlas Lions from rival football fans across Africa ahead of Morocco’s World Cup much-anticipated game against Brazil.
The match will take place on Saturday at 11 p.m. Moroccan time in New Jersey.
Just hours ahead of the game, the trend intensified after South Africa became the subject of widespread trolling following its recent defeat against Mexico on Thursday, with several users now declaring Morocco “next” ahead of Saturday’s match.
“The World Cup hate-watch continues. Morocco, you’re officially next on the agenda,” one user wrote, while another posted: “Morocco your (sic) next for the hate watch.”
Some posts also revived tensions and debates that followed Morocco’s AFCON campaign earlier this year.
The tournament, particularly the chaotic AFCON final against Senegal, sparked major online backlash across parts of African football social media.
The final was marred by Senegal’s controversial walk-off, crowd unrest, among other issues.
During and following the tournament, Morocco has been the subject of trolling as well as a hate campaign, especially after CAF decided to announce the Atlas Lions as African Champions by forfeit 3-0.
While much of the current content appears humorous or rivalry-driven, the trend proves that football fandom increasingly extends beyond the pitch, turning social media into a central arena for memes, rivalries, and online “hate watching” during major tournaments.
