2026 World Cup: Morocco suffer heavy blow ahead of France quarterfinal

Morocco's dreams of reaching a second consecutive World Cup semifinal have suffered a monumental setback ahead of their blockbuster clash with tournament favourites France.

The Atlas Lions' medical staff officially ruled out a key attacking weapon, casting a heavy shadow over Thursday's highly anticipated fixture in Boston.

The North African side has been dealt a devastating blow with the confirmation that star forward Ismael Saibari will miss the match due to a hamstring injury.

Bayern Munich’s new €50 million summer signing was forced off the pitch just 22 minutes into Morocco's comfortable 3-0 Round of 16 victory against Canada.

Although subsequent MRI scans conducted in Boston indicated that the muscle strain was not severely torn, the high-stakes showdown against Les Bleus has ultimately arrived far too quickly for the dynamic forward to complete his recovery.

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi fully confirmed his star attacker's absence during a packed pre-match press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

The tactician stood firm on his strict selection policy, emphasising that he will only field individuals who are operating at absolute peak physical fitness.

While expressing optimistic hope that Saibari can still return later in the tournament should they advance, Ouahbi told reporters: "Everyone's available, except Saibari, with the match coming too early for him, although he's not out for the rest of the tournament, I hope. Everyone's available, although we of course will only select the players who are at 100%."

Morocco were also defeated in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup by France and will be hoping to inflict some sweet revenge on Les Bleus, even without Saibari.