Morocco enters today’s World Cup Quarterfinal match vs. France with a major injury concern. The Atlas Lions will face France — the defending 2022 World Cup runner-up — without their top scorer.
Morocco striker Ismael Saibari is out for today’s World Cup quarterfinal vs. France at Gillette Stadium, and he has not trained with the team all week leading up to the game. Saibari suffered a right hamstring injury during the team’s 3-0 win over Canada in the Round of 16.
France was already expected to defeat Morocco and advance to the FIFA World Cup semifinals, with a 1.53x PrizePicks payout for a 90-minute win and 1.23x payout to advance on PrizePicks Team Picks — strong favorites in both markets.
The game is a rematch of the France vs. Morocco semifinal at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which France won 2-0.
Below, find the latest Ismael Saibari injury update for today’s quarterfinal in Boston, comments from Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi on Saibari’s tournament availability, and which World Cup picks to potentially target at PrizePicks if the Atlas Lions play without their top forward.
Make France vs. Morocco predictions for World Cup 2026 on PrizePicks!
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Ismael Saibari Injury Update: Is Saibari Playing Today vs. France?
Morocco’s top goalscorer Ismael Saibari will not play for Morocco against France in Thursday’s World Cup quarterfinal. Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed that the star forward has been ruled out, saying, “Everyone’s available, except Saibari.”
This comes as no surprise, after Saibari has not practiced with the squad all week.
If Morocco is to advance, Saibari’s availability for a potential World Cup 2026 semifinal is unclear, should Morocco upset France and move on to the July 14 Semifinal at AT&T Stadium (Dallas Stadium) vs. Spain or Belgium.
Ouahbi confessed yesterday that today’s kickoff against Les Bleus is “too soon” to press Saibari back into action. The head coach added, “But I hope he's not out for the rest of the competition.”
Postgame reports from the Morocco-Canada tilt had teased that Saibari might be available vs. France. Morocco’s federation has not released the results of an MRI that was said to be scheduled to occur on July 5.
Morocco’s injury at the front of its attack casts more doubt on Atlas Lions’ prospects to upset France, who are currently the tournament favorites.
On the other side, France’s striker Kylian Mbappé is not only healthy, he’s tied for second in the Golden Boot race with 7 goals in the 2026 World Cup. French GK Mike Maignan has allowed just 2 opposing goals in the tournament thus far. Morocco will need to rely on its own great defending to prevail in Thursday’s quarterfinal
Make France vs. Morocco picks for the 2026 World Cup quarterfinal on PrizePicks
How Long is Ismael Saibari Out for Morocco?
Saibari’s hamstring injury is touted to be “not too serious” in some bulletins, which may be guilty of wishful thinking. The facts tell a different story. Saibari did not take part in training with Morocco this week, as was acknowledged by Morocco World News yesterday.
The 25-year-old striker has been durable and quick to recover throughout his young career. Saibari has not missed any significant time at PSV Eindhoven over the last 2 seasons.
Saibari popped up quickly after going down with an injury in the Dutch Cup this February. He could return if Morocco makes the semifinal round for the second World Cup in a row, but he is certainly not guaranteed to.
World Cup 2026 managers aren’t shy about letting footballers play injured on the biggest stage. Paraguay’s key winger Julio Enciso limped along in a 4-1 loss to the USA on June 12. By June 29, he was scoring to help Paraguay knock out Germany.
The Moroccans appear to have a more cautious plan in mind for Saibari this week, though it is yet to be seen if he’ll join the squad after the quarterfinals, if Morocco advances.
Who Will Replace Ismael Saibari in the Morocco Starting XI?
Soufiane Rahimi is projected to take Saibari’s place at the front of Morocco’s 4-2-3-1 shape. Rahimi, a 30-year-old veteran of Tunisia and UAE’s pro leagues, has been effective in just 180 minutes of World Cup time, bagging a winner against Haiti and scoring again vs. Canada.
France is dealing with an injury of its own in the quarterfinals. Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni, who already missed the Round of 16 with a groin injury, will not play for the rest of the World Cup.
Much like Saibari’s injury, Tchouaméni ailment is thought to be prohibitive despite optimism that the veteran wouldn’t sit out in the quarterfinals.
That could lead Morocco attackers to gain possession time today with a piece of France’s midfield missing.
Morocco will miss Saibari’s defending, too, as he leads the Atlas Lions in forced turnovers and defensive pressures in the 2026 World Cup. But the squad won’t need to tighten down the defensive tactics that have already minted 2 clean sheets in Morocco’s last 4 efforts.
Here are PrizePicks picks for three Morocco players who could benefit with Saibari on the sidelines:
- ST Soufiane Rahimi - 0.5 Goals (Demon), 1.5 Shots, 0.5 Fouls Drawn (Goblin)
- MF Brahim Diaz - 0.5 Shots (Goblin), 0.5 Assists (Demon), 2.5 Tackles (Demon)
- RB Achraf Hakimi - 54.5 Passes Attempted, 4.5 Crosses, 0.5 Fouls (Goblin)
Combine Morocco to win + Soufiane Rahimi picks at PrizePicks for bigger payouts!
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Make France vs. Morocco World Cup Quarterfinal Picks on PrizePicks
Striker Ismael Saibari will miss at least the quarterfinals for Morocco, but the 2022 World Cup semifinalists still have an opportunity to upset a French team with its own injury case. Saibari will likely be replaced in the starting XI by Soufiane Rahimi, who already has tallied 2 goals and an assist in the 2026 World Cup.
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