Morocco, as the staging point of many indigenous Islamised dynasties, would then conquer Spain as part of Al-Andalus, under the reign of the Umayyad Caliphate, Almoravid dynasty and Almohad Caliphate, both left significant cultural landmarks in Spain.

[5] Morocco would later gain independence in 1956, and Spain would renounce all those territories, except for the disputed Western Sahara and the two cities of Ceuta and Melilla; Spain later vacated Western Sahara in 1975, enabling Moroccan troops to invade and occupy two-third of the territory due to the Green March.

[7][8] Due to deeply intertwined and complex historical relations, Morocco and Spain have developed a long-standing rivalry.

[10][11] Just four years later, in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Morocco and Spain would again clash at the World Cup, this time at the round of 16; Spain largely dominated but failed to penetrate against a highly organised Moroccan defence, before going down with a 3–0 defeat on penalties to their North African rival.

Matches between two national teams often resulted in heated and unfriendly sentiment between the two sections of supporters due to deeply intertwined, connected and often troubled historical tie.