The final day of the round of 16 concludes Tuesday at the World Cup when Morocco faces Spain, and Portugal goes head-to-head with Switzerland for the final two spots in the quarterfinals.

The results will be decided on the field, but for Spain and Morocco, the game will be played against the backdrop of the long and complex relationship between two border nations separated by the Strait of Gibraltar.

As neighboring nations, there are ties between the two teams, and many of Morocco’s players speak Spanish and the team’s medical staff is Spanish.

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and striker Youssef En-Nesyri both play in Spain for Sevilla, right back Achraf Hakimi, a Paris Saint-Germain player, was born in Madrid, and coach Walid Regragui played in Spain with Racing Santander.

The team’s also met in the World Cup just four years ago in the final group game in 2018, a 2-2 draw.

As Morocco advanced through this tournament, the national team captivated both its fans at home and Qatari, Saudi and Tunisians fans in Doha as the last Arab team still playing.

Morocco is trying to secure its first appearance in the quarterfinals. The Atlas Lions topped Group F with a draw against Croatia, followed by wins over Belgium and Canada to reach the knockout round for the first time since 1986.