Kylian Mbappé will not feature in France’s World Cup qualifying match against Iceland on Monday, where Les Bleus could seal their spot in the 2026 World Cup, after sustaining another injury to his already sore right ankle, the French Football Federation (FFF) has confirmed.
The Real Madrid star, who has been nursing a “small niggle” in his right ankle, aggravated the issue after taking two heavy knocks during France’s 3–0 victory over Azerbaijan in Paris on Friday. Mbappé scored the opening goal in that match but was substituted before the final whistle due to increasing discomfort.
His absence adds to France’s growing injury woes in attack, as Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Marcus Thuram, and Bradley Barcola are all unavailable for October’s qualifying fixtures.
“Mbappé will not be able to play Monday against Iceland,” the FFF announced in a statement.
Following the team’s return to the Clairefontaine training base on Friday night, the French captain discussed his condition with coach Didier Deschamps, who agreed that he should withdraw from the squad. According to the FFF, Mbappé “has been released to his club (Real Madrid) and will not be replaced.”
The 25-year-old had already skipped a few training sessions earlier in the week due to the same ankle issue. During Friday’s match, he found the net just before half-time but was later caught by a tackle from Rustam Ahmedzade. He then took another hit on the same ankle in the closing stages and was replaced by Florian Thauvin.
“He has a sore ankle and he took a knock there. He preferred to come off; the pain was quite significant,” Deschamps explained after the win over Azerbaijan.
Adrien Rabiot and substitute Florian Thauvin also scored for France, maintaining their perfect record in the qualifiers. The team remains unbeaten after three games and sits comfortably atop Group D.
Les Bleus can officially secure qualification for the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, if they defeat Iceland on Monday and Ukraine fails to beat Azerbaijan in their fixture.
What you should know
Kylian Mbappé will miss France’s World Cup qualifier against Iceland after aggravating his right ankle injury.
The Real Madrid forward, who scored in France’s 3–0 win over Azerbaijan, has been sent back to his club for recovery as France looks to secure early qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
