Morocco will be missing influential player Ismael Saibari as they seek to make amends for their loss to France in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Saibari found the net in all of his team's group matches, scoring in a 1-1 draw against Brazil, a 1-0 triumph over Scotland, and a 4-2 win against Haiti.
The 25-year-old, who transferred from PSV Eindhoven to Bayern Munich this summer, also scored the decisive penalty against the Netherlands in their last-32 matchup.
Unfortunately, Saibari had to leave the field after just 22 minutes due to a hamstring injury during Morocco’s 3-0 victory over co-hosts Canada in the round of 16.
“He’s not fit, but I’m hopeful it’s not the end of the tournament for him,” remarked Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi (via BBC Sport).
In other news, France's attempt to overturn Michael Olise’s yellow card from their victory over Paraguay has been unsuccessful.
The Bayern Munich winger received a booking after a clash with Matias Galarza in stoppage time during France’s 1-0 win in a heated last-16 encounter in Philadelphia.
Galarza went down after Olise held onto his shirt during the incident.
Also Read: Super Eagles Will Learn From Morocco, Others To Shine At 2030 World Cup — Senator Nwoko
Olise, who has contributed five assists at the 2026 World Cup, would be sidelined for his country’s semi-final against Spain or Belgium if France defeats Morocco in their quarter-final on Thursday (21:00 BST) and he receives another yellow card.
“The yellow card remains unchanged. We were informed by Fifa this morning, it stands,” stated France manager Didier Deschamps on Wednesday before the match at Boston Stadium.
Olise’s booking is upheld, even though Fifa suspended a red card for United States striker Folarin Balogun during the tournament, allowing him to participate in a last-16 match against Belgium.
Balogun was dismissed against Bosnia-Herzegovina but controversially played in the 4-1 loss, with US president Donald Trump admitting he requested Fifa to reassess the ruling.
Bradley Barcola and Manu Kone also received bookings for France against Paraguay, who were not shown any yellow cards by referee Ilgiz Tantashev during the game.
