No Saibari as Morocco back coach Ouahbi to mastermind France upset

Morocco's head coach Mohamed Ouahbi and Ismael Saibari celebrate after winning in the shootout during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 vs Netherlands at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe on June 29, 2026. [CARL DE SOUZA / AFP]

Morocco will have to attempt one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 FIFA World Cup without one of their brightest stars after coach Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed that influential midfielder Ismael Saibari will miss Thursday's quarter-final against France through injury.

The Bayern Munich midfielder has been one of the standout performers of the tournament, scoring in each of the Atlas Lions’ three group matches before converting the decisive penalty in their shootout victory over the Dutch in the Round of 32.

However, the new Bayern Munich attacker suffered a hamstring injury during their convincing 3-0 win over Canada in the round of 16, and has failed to recover in time for the last-eight showdown at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

"Everyone is 100 per cent fit except Saibari. This game comes too soon for him, but I hope he is not out for the rest of the competition," Ouahbi told reporters on Wednesday.

His absence is a huge setback for the Ouahbi, particularly after the attacking midfielder completed a reported €50 million move from PSV Eindhoven to Bavaria earlier this month.

Fortunately for Morocco, Soufiane Rahimi showed he is more than capable of filling the void after coming on against Canada and scoring.

Morocco head into the contest seeking revenge for their painful 2-0 defeat to France in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, where Africa's historic run ended, making them the first African and Arab nation to go that far.

This time, however, there is a growing belief they can go one step further.

Since replacing Walid Regragui in March, Ouahbi has transformed Morocco into one of the tournament's most entertaining sides.

The Belgium-born tactician remains unbeaten at the World Cup and has quickly silenced critics who questioned whether a coach with little senior-level experience could handle a dressing room packed with established international stars.

The 49-year-old spent 17 years coaching Anderlecht's youth teams before guiding Morocco to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup title last year, beating France on penalties in the semi-finals before overcoming Argentina in the final.

His ability to develop young players has also proved invaluable at the senior level.

Ouahbi dismissed suggestions that Morocco had already exceeded expectations simply by reaching the quarter-finals.

"We absolutely want to win the game tomorrow, so we will not listen to people who say it doesn't matter if we go out now," he said.