Morocco suffered a major setback when Saibari was injured in the quarter-final of the World Cup | World Cup 2026 news

Ismael Saibari will miss the game against France in Boston due to a groin injury sustained last week.

Morocco’s hopes of a World Cup quarter-final against France have been shaken after star midfielder Ismael Saibari was ruled out of the game.

Saibari suffered a back injury in the last 16 match against Canada and did not recover in time for the crucial match, coach Mohamed Ouahbi said on Wednesday.

“Everyone is 100 percent fit except Saibari. The game will come too soon for him, but I hope he will not be out of the rest of the tournament,” Ouahbi told reporters before Thursday’s eighth-round match in Boston.

Saibari, who joined Bayern Munich from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on a five-year deal for 50 million euros ($57m), has been one of the standout players at this year’s World Cup.

He scored in each of his team’s three games and converted the winning penalty in the shootout as Morocco beat the Netherlands in the last 32.

However, the attacking midfielder made an early exit with a hamstring strain in last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Canada in the last 16.

If Morocco advances, Saibari could return to the semifinals.

“He’s not ready yet, but I’m sure it’s not the end of the race,” Ouahbi said.

Soufiane Rahimi, who is an outgoing player, came on for Saibari in the game and scored Morocco’s third goal.

The Atlas Lions are looking to avenge their 2-0 defeat against France in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup.

This is the first time any African or Arab team has reached the last four of the competition, and their motivation this time around is to complete that run.

Ouahbi rejected suggestions that his team could claim to have had a successful campaign by reaching the quarterfinals.

“We really want to win the game tomorrow, so we don’t listen to people who say it doesn’t matter if we go out now,” said the coach, who took over from Walid Regragui in March.

“Tomorrow, we will try to go to the semifinals. I don’t like this idea that we have already done well and everything else is a bonus,” added Ouahbi, who said he watched the 2022 meeting of the sides as a fan, on television.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s Moroccan star Brahim Diaz has insisted his team can compete with favorites France as they prepare to challenge Kylian Mbappe, his club mate.

“Tomorrow we are playing one of our favorite games, but we have shown that we can compete, that’s why we are here. I have full faith and trust in the team.”