Ismael Saibari (foto: Getty Images)
France and Morocco meet in Boston for the first place in the World Cup semi-finals, with the Atlas Lions forced to cope without leading scorer Ismael Saibari.
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The race for the 2026 World Cup reaches another decisive chapter tonight as France and Morocco battle for first place in the semi-finals.
FRANCE vs MOROCCO (22:00 CET)
Boston hosts a repeat of one of the most memorable matches from the 2022 World Cup, as two-time champions France once again meet Morocco in a knockout clash. This time, the prize is a place in the semi-finals, where Spain or Belgium await.
The match will be broadcast live on Arena Sport TV.
Didier Deschamps is aiming to guide France into a third consecutive World Cup semi-final before stepping down after the tournament. His side arrives in excellent form, having won five matches in a row, including a hard-fought Round of 16 victory over Paraguay.
That match was settled by a penalty from Kylian Mbappe, who now leads the Golden Boot race with seven goals. Tonight will also be a landmark occasion for Deschamps, whose 25th World Cup match as France coach will see him equal the record held by legendary Germany manager Helmut Schön.
Morocco continues to make history under head coach Mohamed Ouahbi. The Atlas Lions have stretched their unbeaten run to 10 matches and reached the quarter-finals after an impressive victory over Canada, with Azzedine Ounahi scoring twice and Soufiane Rahimi also finding the net.
However, Morocco faces its biggest challenge of the tournament with a significant setback. Leading scorer Ismael Saibari has failed to recover from injury and will miss the showdown with France, depriving Ouahbi of one of his most dangerous attacking players.
That places even greater responsibility on Brahim Diaz, who has enjoyed an outstanding tournament and holds the African record for nine World Cup assists.
France also has a fitness concern, with midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni expected to miss the match because of a thigh injury.
Probable line-ups
France: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Kone, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappe.
Morocco: Bounou; Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui; El Aynaoui, Bouaddi; Brahim Diaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss; Rahimi.
France enters the quarter-final as the clear favourite to continue its march towards another World Cup title, but Morocco has already shown over the past two tournaments that it thrives as the underdog. Without Saibari, producing another upset will be even more difficult, but the Atlas Lions have repeatedly proved they are capable of exceeding expectations.