A Moroccan World Cup twist to the Viking thunderclap

Morocco fans have lit up the World Cup and have now given a thunderclap, made famous by Icelandic fans, their own twist.

Inside Al Thumama Stadium in Qatar, thousands of Morocco fans stood with their hands outstretched over their heads during the quarter-final against Portugal.

The whistling, clapping and jeering gave way to complete silence. You could hear a cough at the other end of the stadium.

Then, a drum beats and a clap is heard. The fans, draped in the familiar red and green of Morocco, smack their hands in unison, creating a thunderous noise that rings around the stadium as they shout “sir” – which means “go” – before falling silent again.

Clap, “sir”. The process is repeated a few seconds later, with the sound booming and echoing across the stadium as the Moroccan players harry against the higher-ranked Portugal side on Saturday.

The claps become more frequent, eventually reaching a rousing crescendo followed by a post-climactic round of appreciative applause.

The Moroccan fans’ use of this so-called “Viking clap” epitomises their passion for their team at World Cup 2022.

Arguably one of the liveliest sets of fans at the tournament, they have fervently cheered on the Atlas Lions to the steady beat of their drums through all four of their World Cup games.