Published On 9/7/2026
The Moroccan national team’s top scorer in the 2026 World Cup, Ismail Sibari, will miss the quarter-final match against France on Thursday in Boston, coach Mohamed Wehbe confirmed on Wednesday.
Wehbe said in a press conference on the eve of the scheduled match at Gillette Stadium near Boston: “Everyone is 100% ready except for Saibari. This match comes very early for him, but I hope he will not be absent until the end of the tournament.”
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Saibari, who recently joined German club Bayern Munich from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on a five-year contract for about 50 million euros (about 57 million dollars), was one of the most prominent players in the World Cup.
He scored in each of his country’s three group stage matches, and also took the decisive penalty kick in the victory over the Netherlands in the round of 32.
But the attacking midfielder went out early with a hamstring injury during the 3-0 win over Canada in the quarter-finals last Saturday, and has not yet recovered.
Sofiane Rahimi, an outspoken striker, came on as a substitute for Sibari in that match and scored the third goal for Morocco.
The “Atlas Lions” are seeking revenge for their 0-2 loss to France in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals.
This was the first time that any African or Arab team reached the semi-finals of the tournament, and this constituted an incentive for them this time to equal that achievement.
Wehbe refused to consider his country’s reaching the quarter-finals a sufficient success, and said: “We definitely want to win tomorrow’s match, so we will not listen to those who say that exiting now does not matter.”
The coach, who took over the job from his compatriot Walid Regragui last March after the African Cup of Nations, in which the “Atlas Lions” won at the expense of Senegal, added by administrative decision: “Tomorrow we will try to reach the semi-finals. I do not like this feeling that we have provided enough and that anything additional is just a gain.”
“knives between the teeth”
He expressed his hope that the “Atlas Lions” would play tomorrow’s match “with knives between the teeth,” adding: “Four years ago, as a fan, I had a feeling of regret, and so did the players. The key is not to feel any regret. There are things we must do better. We must go into the match with 2000%, without saying that what we have presented so far is good, and to play this match with knives between the teeth if necessary.”
He continued: “The outcome will be evaluated in the end, but I will never be satisfied with what I have achieved if I can achieve more. We will do everything to win. We must play as if our backs are against the wall.”
The coach, who won the Under-20 World Cup title last year, added: “We are determined to fight until the end.”
He also believed that his players should “hurt” the French team when they have the ball. He said: “If we succeed in being patient with the ball, and finding gaps whether on the sides or in depth, we can cause harm to any team.”
He added: “The match will be decided on the level of content and effectiveness. Morocco’s energy is very great, and it is what makes the difference in difficult moments. We are very calm about the way we prepared for this match. I feel that the players are extremely focused and motivated.”
For his part, Real Madrid’s Spanish star Ibrahim Diaz confirmed that his country’s national team is capable of competing with the nominated French national team, while preparing to face his colleague at the club level, Kylian Mbappe.
He said: “Tomorrow we will play against one of the favorites, but we have proven that we are capable of competing, and that is why we are here. I have complete confidence in the national team.”
