Morocco will have to face France without one of their biggest attacking threats but manager Mohamed Ouahbi insists the Atlas Lions have no intention to change their approach in the battle to win another piece of World Cup history.
Star forward Ismael Saibari has been ruled out of Thursday's FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final because of the hamstring injury he picked up during Morocco's 3-0 Round of 16 victory against Canada that earned a third straight quarter-final win.
The PSV Eindhoven midfielder is one of Morocco’s most consistent performers in the tournament. He scored in all three group stage games and he clinically converted the decisive penalty in the dramatic shootout win on the night of the Round of 32 final against the Netherlands.
Ouahbi said Saibari's absence from the quarter-finals is a blow but he thinks Saibari might still be in this tournament if Morocco can continue to be so successful in their progress.
"He's not ready, but I hope it’s not the end of the tournament for him," Ouahbi said.
Despite the loss of one of his key players, the Moroccan coach insisted his side will not abandon that style of football that has got them to the last eight.
"There won’t be any surprises. I have nothing to hide. Anyone who has watched our matches knows we have a clear idea of how we want to play," he said.
Even if France has some of the most dangerous attacks in this competition, Ouahbi said, Morocco will continue to look for opportunities when they have possession and not just sit back.
"The key will be to hurt them when we have the ball. It’s not just attacking down the wings, we have to be patient, move the ball well and find space both out wide and through the middle. We’ve shown we can trouble any team, and that’s what we’ll try to do again," he added.
The quarter-final also evokes memories of the 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal in which France ended Morocco’s fairytale run with a 2-0 win. Ouahbi thinks that result will have little impact on Thursday’s match.
"Each match has its own story. This won’t be the same game as 2022," he said.
"We’re a different team now, and France are also a different team. Both countries have developed, so naturally both teams have improved."
The Moroccan coach also dismissed suggestions that simply reaching the quarter-finals should be considered enough.
"People may say we have already done something special, but we’ll judge ourselves when the tournament is over. Being here isn’t the bonus. The bonus is winning the World Cup," he said confidently.
France will come to Foxborough with an unblemished record and have won all five of their games so far. Led by Didier Deschamps, Les Bleus won their group before overcoming Sweden and Paraguay to set up another quarter-final.
Now Kylian Mbappé, who has already scored seven goals in the tournament, will be at the center of the focus once again. Supported by Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola, France have the most prolific attack in the tournament.
Morocco, on the other hand, are unbeaten in their last 10 games since the Africa Cup of Nations final and hungry to make history again. The Atlas Lions have never defeated France in six previous meetings and now they have another chance to rewrite the history books and get to an all-time record World Cup final.
The winner of the blockbuster clash will face either the Spain national football team or the Belgium national football team in the semis.
