Morocco starting lineup vs France confirmed as Ismael Saibari benched for FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final match

The Atlas Lions will look to secure back-to-back semi-final berths in tonight’s match.

Morocco take on France in an exciting quarter-final clash in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on July 9. The Atlas Lions became the first African side to appear in a World Cup semi-final in the last edition and will look to repeat that trick in the expanded 48-team edition in North America.

The Atlas Lions saw their groundbreaking run in the 2022 edition come to an end at the hands of Les Bleus, losing 2-0. In fact, the North African giants have lost four of their six meetings and are yet to beat the French.

The Maghrebis will take some heart from their present form, remaining unbeaten in five matches in the tournament. They clinched a place in the last eight with a comfortable 3-0 win over co-hosts Canada, with Azzedine Ounahi scoring a second-half brace.

Also Read: France vs Morocco – All-time head-to-head record

Let’s look at the Morocco confirmed lineup for the FIFA World Cup 2026 match against France:

Morocco (4-2-3-1): Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi (c), Issa Diop, Noussair Mazraoui, Anass Salah-Eddine; Neil El Aynaoui, Ayyoub Bouaddi; Brahim Diaz, Azzedine Ounahi, Chemsdine Talbi; Bilal El Khannous.

Substitutes: Munir El Kajoui (gk), Ahmed Tagnaouti (gk), Ayoube Amaimouni, Sofyan Amrabat, Youssef Belammari, Ayoub El Kaabi, Samir El Mourabet, Zakaria El Ouahdi, Redouane Halhal, Soufiane Rahimi, Chadi Riad, Marwane Saadane, Ismael Saibari, Amine Sbai, Yassine Gessime.

🚨 التشكيلة الرسمية لـ منتخبنا الوطني أمام فرنسا📋 Our National Team’s 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐗𝐈 against France 🇫🇷#DimaMaghrib 🇲🇦 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/Y66ePsQLkN

— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) July 9, 2026

Thoughts on the lineup

Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has had mixed fortunes in terms of his squad’s injury status. Chadi Riad has recovered from an injury that kept him out of the match against Canada, but Ouahbi did not risk the Crystal Palace youngster tonight.

Instead, Noussair Mazraoui, who usually plays at left-back, starts in central defence with Issa Diop. Captain Achraf Hakimi and Anass Salah-Eddine start as full-backs, with Yassine Bounou starting between the sticks.

Neil El Aynaoui and Ayyoub Bouaddi have been brilliant in the tournament and form the two-man pivot. Azzedine Ounahi shone in the last game with two goals and starts in an advanced role.

Brahim Diaz and Chemsdine Talbi start on the flanks. Ismael Saibari, who has been one of the best players in the World Cup this year, is out of this match with a hamstring injury. Soufiane Rahimi, who replaced Saibari in the last game, is also on the bench, with Bilal El Khannous starting as the centre-forward.

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