Ismael Saibari, Morocco's leading scorer at this World Cup, left the win over Canada on 22 minutes clutching his thigh, putting his place for the France quarter-final on Thursday 9 July in doubt 1. Saibari, a Bayern Munich midfielder, scored Morocco's opening goal against Brazil in the group stage and carried the attack through a run that included a penalty win over the Netherlands . Morocco's staff gave no prognosis at full time, and the short turnaround before Boston leaves little room to recover a thigh problem. Losing him would strip Morocco of its most productive attacker for the fixture that ended its 2022 campaign.
8JUL
Injury doubt over Saibari for France tie
1 min read
09:49UTC
Ismael Saibari, Morocco's top scorer, limped off against Canada on 22 minutes, casting doubt on his fitness to face France.
SportDeveloping
Key takeaway
Saibari's thigh injury may leave Morocco without its leading scorer against France on 9 July.
Deep Analysis
In plain English
Saibari just signed for Bayern Munich, one of Germany's biggest clubs, before this match even kicked off. A thigh injury is a strain in the big muscle at the front of the leg. It usually needs at least a couple of weeks of rest, which is why his place in Thursday's quarter-final is in doubt.
Root Causes
The 48-team World Cup compresses more high-intensity matches into six weeks than the closing stretch of a full European club season.
Soft-tissue problems, like the thigh strain that ended Saibari's afternoon on 22 minutes, cluster in exactly this fixture-dense period for players who, like him, have started every match so far.
Sources:Goal.com
First Reported In
Update #34 · Morocco knock out Canada, draw France again
Goal.com· 5 Jul 2026
Read original →Causes and effects
This Event
Injury doubt over Saibari for France tie
Morocco may reach the France quarter-final on 9 July without its leading scorer.
Different Perspectives
Spain
Spain face France on Tuesday for the second semi-final place, the last unresolved tie in the bracket.
France
France already through to the other semi-final, await Tuesday's result against Spain to know who plays the England-Argentina winner in the final.
Switzerland
Switzerland reached their first World Cup quarter-final since 1954 and led Argentina before Breel Embolo's second yellow card left them a man down for the last half-hour. They expect the run to raise expectations for the next cycle rather than close a chapter.
Norway
Norway leaned on Erling Haaland to reach a first modern-era quarter-final, and he nearly took them further before a disallowed goal and England's late double ended the run. Their tournament closes as the best World Cup performance in the country's history.
Argentina national team
Argentina broke down a 10-man Switzerland late, extending Scaloni's run of reaching every semi-final he has managed since 2019. Messi will make his first World Cup appearance against England, a fixture Argentine coverage framed around that unbroken run rather than the personal narrative.
England
England needed a 93rd-minute Bellingham winner to see off Norway, the third straight knockout tie settled in its closing stages rather than controlled. They travel to Atlanta as favourites but with Declan Rice a fitness doubt and Jarell Quansah suspended.