Boston: Morocco have suffered a major setback ahead of their FIFA World Cup quarter-final against France after influential midfielder Ismael Saibari was ruled out with a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old has failed to recover in time after picking up the injury during Morocco’s Round of 16 victory over Canada.
Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed that Saibari would not be available for Thursday’s match, although there is hope the Bayern Munich player could return later in the tournament if Morocco reach the semi-finals. Ouahbi said Saibari was the only member of the squad not fully fit ahead of the crucial knockout encounter.
Saibari has been one of Morocco’s standout performers at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The attacking midfielder scored in all three group-stage matches and converted the decisive penalty in the shootout victory over the Netherlands in the Round of 32. His absence leaves Morocco without one of its most dangerous attacking players.
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Soufiane Rahimi is expected to play a bigger role after replacing Saibari during the win over Canada and scoring Morocco’s third goal. Morocco will be hoping the experienced forward can help fill the gap as the Atlas Lions attempt to overcome one of the tournament favourites.
Despite the injury setback, Ouahbi insisted Morocco remain fully focused on reaching the semi-finals and rejected suggestions that the team had already exceeded expectations by making the last eight. The coach said the squad is determined to challenge France and continue its impressive World Cup campaign.
Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz also expressed confidence before the match, saying Morocco believes it can compete with France despite the quality of Kylian Mbappe and the French attack. Morocco will also be aiming to avenge its 2-0 defeat to France in the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
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