Morocco held by Norway, Saibari's unlikely path to Saturday

Morocco held by Norway in final tune-up

Your World Cup opener is Saturday against Morocco, and their final friendly raised some eyebrows. Morocco drew with Norway in a friendly – the scoreline isn't available, but the result itself matters less than what it reveals. They're no pushovers. This is a team with serious attacking threats, and the fact they lined up against a disciplined European side right before facing Brazil tells you they're not coming just to defend. (2)

The Moroccan attacker who was once dropped for being 'too fat'

Ismael Saibari, a key forward for Morocco, has a backstory that'll make you root for him – until Saturday. As a youth player at Anderlecht, he was told he could leave the day before the season started. His crime? Weight. "They thought I was too fat," Saibari said. He rebuilt his career through Genk, Beerschot (who went bankrupt), KV Mechelen, and now PSV. He's a late bloomer with a chip on his shoulder – exactly the type who causes problems in tournament openers. (2)

Militao: Mourinho has my full backing

Éder Militão is already looking past the World Cup at life under José Mourinho at Real Madrid. "Mou is a great coach, I'm looking forward to the season starting," he said. The center-back is recovering from injury and seems genuinely excited about the new project. For Brazil fans, the relevant question is whether he's fully sharp right now – because you need him at his best from the first whistle on Saturday. (1)

Fan reactions

There's a growing sentiment across football Reddit that African teams are entering this World Cup looking more dangerous than ever. Morocco in particular is being singled out, with fans admitting they used to only follow the usual powers – Brazil, France, Argentina – but are now paying attention to what's brewing elsewhere. The consensus: don't sleep on this Morocco side. Read the discussion