Morocco will be without forward Ismael Saibari for their World Cup quarter-final against France on Thursday evening. The new Bayern Munich forward sustained a muscular injury during the first half of the last-16 victory over Canada, ruling him out of the clash in Boston.
Saibari ruled out
Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed the news in Wednesday's pre-match press conference, expressing hope that Saibari's tournament is not over. "Everyone's available, except Saibari, with the match coming too early for him," Ouahbi told reporters. "Although he's not out for the rest of the tournament, I hope."
Diaz to lead the line
With Saibari unavailable, Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz is expected to operate as a centre-forward, with Chemsdine Talbi coming into the midfield. Soufiane Rahimi, who replaced Saibari against Canada and scored the third goal in the 3-0 win, was initially expected to start but appears to be on the bench.
Confirmed line-up
Achraf Hakimi captains the side. Arsenal and Manchester United transfer target Ayyoub Bouaddi starts against the country of his birth, and Azzedine Ounahi looks to follow up his brace from the last round. The full starting XI: Bounou; Hakimi, Diop, Mazraoui, Salah-Eddine; Bouaddi, El Aynaoui; El Khannouss, Ounahi, Talbi; Diaz. Substitutes: El Kajou, Tagnaouti, Saadane, Belammari, El Ouahdi, Riad, Halhal, Amrabat, El Mourabet, Yassine, Rahimi, Sbai, El Kaabi, Amaimouni.
Match details
The match kicks off at 9pm BST on Thursday, July 9, 2026, at Boston Stadium, and will be broadcast live on ITV.
