Morocco star Saibari will miss 2026 World Cup quarter-final against France

Ismael Saibari is likely to miss Morocco's defense against France in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal (Instagram/@ismaelsaibari).

JAKARTA - Morocco will miss its star striker, Ismael Saibari, for the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal match against France on Friday, July 10, 2026, early morning WIB.

Saibari was replaced because he felt uncomfortable in the 22nd minute in Morocco's 3-0 victory over Canada in the last 16 in Houston last weekend.

He has been undergoing medical tests and analysis over the past few days to determine the extent of the hamstring injury.

The MRI examination conducted on Monday, July 6, 2026, after the team's arrival in Boston, seemed to indicate that the injury was not too severe so that it would not make him absent throughout the tournament.

"All the players are ready, except Saibari, because this match is too fast for him. Even so, I hope he doesn't miss out until the end of the tournament."

"All the players are ready, although of course we will only choose players who are in 100 percent condition," said Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi.

Saibari has been Morocco's best player at the 2026 World Cup so far, scoring the opening goal against Brazil, the winning goal against Scotland, and the equalizer against Haiti during the group stage.

Against the Netherlands, the 25-year-old scored the decisive penalty in the 32-man shootout victory, with the winning goal particularly significant given he has spent his entire career to date in the Dutch top flight with PSV Eindhoven.

He secured a transfer worth 50 million euros to Bayern Munich on July 1, 2026 - after weeks of transfer speculation - becoming the second most expensive Moroccan footballer of all time after Achraf Hakimi.

Soufiane Rahimi came on as a substitute for Saibari against Canada. He is the favorite to lead Morocco's front line against France even though Ouahbi relies more on collectivism.

"When you want to go far in a tournament, you need everyone. The players who can't get into the starting eleven know that they have the chance to finish the game."

"We have core players. Then when other players come in as substitutes, they can make a difference on the field for us."

"This is a positive thing for the team. This is something that gives us a lot of confidence," said the coach again.

Ouahbi's comments appear to be good news for Crystal Palace's Chadi Riad, who started the tournament as the first-choice centre-back after Nayef Aguerd was dropped from the squad. Iatelah has begun to build a promising partnership with Issa Diop.

He missed the game against Canada due to an undisclosed injury, with Redouane Halhal looking less than convincing in his place, but now he appears ready to return for the game against France.

Morocco face France for the first time since being beaten by Les Bleus in the 2022 semi-finals, the first time an African team have reached the World Cup last four.