France and Morocco meet in a highly charged World Cup quarterfinal in Boston on Thursday, renewing a rivalry that carries deep historical and social weight — and reviving memories of Morocco's agonising 2-0 semifinal defeat to France at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Morocco's preparations have been dealt a significant blow with the confirmation that attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari will miss the match due to a hamstring injury sustained in their last-16 victory over Canada. Saibari, who recently completed a €50 million move from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven to Bayern Munich, had been one of the standout players of the tournament, scoring in each of Morocco's three group matches and converting the decisive penalty in the shootout win over the Netherlands in the round of 32. Coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who took charge of the Atlas Lions in March, said he hopes the injury will not end Saibari's tournament entirely and that the player could return for the semifinals should Morocco advance. Striker Soufiane Rahimi, who came on as a substitute against Canada and scored, is expected to fill in.

Ouahbi struck a combative tone ahead of the match, dismissing suggestions that reaching the quarterfinal already represents a successful campaign. "We absolutely want to win the game tomorrow, so we will not listen to people who say it doesn't matter if we go out now," he said, adding that his team must "play with knives between their teeth" and approach the match as though their backs are against the wall. Real Madrid forward Brahim Diaz, who faces France teammate Kylian Mbappé on opposite sides of the pitch, echoed the defiant mood: "Tomorrow we are playing one of the favourites, but we have shown we can compete, and that is why we are here."

The match has already prompted debate over refereeing assignments, with French coach Didier Deschamps publicly addressing the issue ahead of kick-off. Beyond the football, the fixture carries profound symbolic significance. France is home to one of the world's largest Moroccan diaspora communities, and security forces in Paris are on heightened alert, reflecting how deeply this contest resonates beyond the stadium.

For Morocco, the stakes are clear: in 2022, they became the first African or Arab nation ever to reach a World Cup semifinal. A win on Thursday would match that historic milestone and, for the first time, give them the chance to go further. For France, one of the tournament's leading contenders, it is a test against a side that has repeatedly proved it belongs among the world's elite.