France captain Kylian Mbappe suffered an ankle injury in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal match vs Morocco last week.
Published: July 14, 2026, 2:16 PM IST
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France’s Kylian Mbappe injured his ankle in FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal vs Morocco. (Photo: IANS)
France vs Spain FIFA World Cup 2026: French captain Kylian Mbappe without a doubt has been his side’s star performer in the FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament so far with 8 goals and 3 assists to his name in 563 minutes of play. Mbappe is currently just ahead of Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race ahead of his side’s semifinal clash against Spain at the AT & T Stadium in Dallas on Tuesday.
Mbappe’s all-time tally of World Cup knockout goals stands at 12 – the most of any player in the history of the tournament. But while the Real Madrid striker has scored in the round of 32 (2), round of 16 (5), quarter-final (1) and final (4), he has not found the net in his two prior semi-final appearances in the World Cup.
One major cause of concern for coach Didier Deschamps-led French side will be the fitness of Mbappe heading into the last four clash. Mbappe picked up a minor ankle injury in their 2-0 quarterfinal win over Morocco, according to Reuter news agency.
Speaking to reporters in Dallas ahead of the semi-final on Monday, France head coach Didier Deschamps reassured that the star forward was available for selection. “Kylian is fine,” Deschamps said, as quoted by Reuters news agency.
Mbappe, though, did not complete the final training session after suffering the injury in the quarterfinals. The forward, who was substituted late in that match, had his workload managed as a precaution as well.
Asked about Mbappe’s participation in training, Deschamps said, “Yes, he trained. He is allowed to do 10 minutes in one drill instead of 15.”
The French captain was partially rested during the session, but the injury is not expected to rule him out of the semifinal clash against Spain. Mbappe’s partnership with Ousmane Dembele has created 19 chances for the French side with 10 goals by the former.
Only three pairs of players on record (from 1966) have created 20-plus chances for each other at the finals: Franz Beckenbauer and Wolfgang Overath (25), Rivaldo and Ronaldo (23), and Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi (21).
France will take on in-form Spain side that advanced to the last four after defeating Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Spain will enter the contest on a 36-match unbeaten run and will be aiming to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final. France have scored six goals in the knockout stages without conceding a single one and will be looking to book their berth in the third-successive World Cup final.
