Morocco have been dealt a major blow ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final against France, with influential forward Ismael Saibari ruled out after failing to recover from a hamstring injury.
Head coach Mohammed Ouahbi confirmed the setback during Thursday’s pre-match press conference, revealing that the PSV Eindhoven attacker will miss the crucial last-eight clash after sustaining the injury in Morocco’s Round of 16 victory over Canada.
“He’s not ready, but I hope it’s not the end of the tournament for him,” Ouahbi said, expressing hope that the 25-year-old could return if Morocco progress to the semi-finals.
Saibari has been one of the standout performers of Morocco’s campaign, scoring in all three group-stage matches before converting a penalty in the Atlas Lions’ shootout victory over the Netherlands in the Round of 32. His absence leaves a significant gap in Morocco’s attack as they prepare to face one of the tournament favourites.
Morocco will now have to rely on their disciplined defensive structure and collective resilience as they attempt to overcome a star-studded French side and avenge their 2-0 defeat to Les Bleus in the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The quarter-final has also attracted attention following FIFA’s appointment of an all-Argentine officiating team, the first time in the 2026 World Cup that all match officials will come from the same country.
Ouahbi, however, dismissed any concerns over the decision, backing the officials to remain impartial.
“We’re talking about a very experienced referee. That’s what we want. We want experienced referees for these types of matches, so we’re very calm,” he said.
The Morocco coach pointed to his team’s earlier experience in the tournament, noting that an all-Dutch officiating team had overseen their match against the Netherlands without controversy.
“We had a Dutch referee before facing the Netherlands, and he did very well. So that’s not something we really talk about because we know they’re just trying to do their best. The referee we’ll have against France is not so quick to give bookings, and that can have an impact, but I would not say anything against the quality of the referees,” Ouahbi added.
France head into the quarter-final with a favourable historical record, having won four of their six meetings with Morocco. The Atlas Lions have registered one victory, while the other encounter ended in a draw.
