FIFA WC: Morocco forward Saibari ruled out of quarter-final against France

Morocco have suffered a significant setback ahead of their high-stakes FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final against France, with influential forward Ismael Saibari ruled out due to a hamstring injury.

Head coach Mohammed Ouahbi confirmed the development during the team's pre-match press conference on Thursday, revealing that Saibari had failed to recover in time after sustaining the injury during 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 optimism that the 25-year-old could return if Morocco advance to the semi-finals.

Saibari has been one of Morocco's standout performers at the tournament, playing a pivotal role in the Atlas Lions' impressive campaign. The PSV Eindhoven attacker found the net in each of Morocco's three group-stage matches and also converted a penalty in the decisive shootout victory over the Netherlands in the Round of 32. His absence is expected to leave a sizeable void in Morocco's attack as they prepare to face one of the tournament favourites.

The North African side now faces the daunting task of overcoming France, the runners-up at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, without one of their most reliable attacking threats. Morocco may have to rely on greater defensive discipline and collective resilience against a French side boasting considerable firepower.

Meanwhile, FIFA's decision to appoint an all-Argentine officiating team for the quarter-final has generated widespread debate, marking the first time at the 2026 World Cup that a match will be overseen entirely by officials from a single country. However, Ouahbi dismissed concerns over the appointment and backed the match officials' impartiality.

"We're talking about a very experienced referee," he said. "That's what we want. We want experienced referees for these types of matches, so we're very calm."

The Morocco coach also pointed to his team's previous experience earlier in the tournament.

"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," he added.

France and Morocco share a limited but competitive history on the international stage, having met six times across all competitions. France hold the upper hand with four victories, while one match ended in a draw and Morocco have registered one win.

The two nations also crossed paths in the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where France secured a 2-0 victory to end Morocco's historic run — the first by an African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final. Morocco will now be eager to script a different ending as they seek revenge and a place in the last four of the 2026 tournament.

With IANS inputs