Not everyone gets to watch football from inside the stadium. Tickets sell out fast, and for some fans, the prices are simply out of reach. For many, the fanzone becomes the stadium — the place where passion, hope and national pride still find a home.
Today, I experienced the game exactly that way — not from the media tribune or behind the advertising boards, but from the streets, the sidewalks, the bars and eventually, the fanzone.
The journey began with a 40-minute walk from my residence to what I believed was the nearest fanzone. Along the way, Rabat was already in full match-day rhythm. Fans streamed in the same direction, jerseys everywhere. Shops selling merchandise were busy, bars filled up early, and locals helped with parking while others simply paused to soak in the atmosphere. Every step felt like part of the build-up to kick-off, and my camera followed closely, capturing the city as it lived football.
Just when I thought I had arrived, reality struck — pre-registration was required, and I hadn’t known. Bounced. But football journeys are rarely straight. I was redirected to another fanzone, this time a 16-minute drive away. Almost perfectly timed, a cab was already parked next to me. For 29 Moroccan Dirhams, the story continued.
At the fanzone, it was all about emotion. Morocco fans lived every moment — the tension, the celebrations, the collective gasp, the shared joy. Goals brought explosions of happiness, tough moments froze the crowd, and at the final whistle, relief and pride spilled into the night. Faces told the story best: flags waving, fists in the air, strangers embracing like family.
This was football away from the stadium lights. Football lived and felt by the people. And sometimes, the best stories are found not inside the stadium, but on the journey to where the fans are.
These images tell the story of a match watched without a ticket, but never without passion — football as lived by the people, in the streets and at the fanzone.
