Kylian Mbappe downplays ankle injury after France secure World Cup semi-final spot: ‘Everything is fine’

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. The 2026 World Cup was too good and too star-studded to miss out on one of the biggest stars who turned this summer’s event into arguably the best in its 96-year history.

And, thankfully, it seems it won’t.

But we got a glimpse of uncertainty for Kylian Mbappe on Thursday, with an ankle issue providing the only drama FranceIt won 2-0 in the quarterfinals Morocco.

The result was the expected result, and it came in a game that lacked the usual pizzazz that has graced every other victory for the French in their previous five wins over the past month. The shock came in the 77th minute, after Les Bleus went two goals up, when Mbappe hit the ground. The sight was strange: As 75:30 appeared on the game clock, the world’s best soccer player raised his right arm, bent over, arched his back slightly on the grass and asked to be sent off.

Moments later, cameras caught Mbappe sitting with his right foot/ankle wrapped in an ice pack.

Uh-oh?

Not really.

But at that time, the score of the game and the upcoming victory of France was the second point in the life of the international star. This is not the position we are used to seeing Mbappe in. France have the deepest squad at this World Cup, but even so, their best player is rarely off the field in a crucial match against a top-ten opponent. Remember a few days ago, when Argentina clinched the all-time title against Egypt? As good as France are – and seemingly the biggest World Cup crowd ever – nothing is guaranteed this way deep into the tournament. Mbappe’s sending off against a Moroccan side that had not lost in over two years was turning heads, even if the injury did not appear to be serious.

He went calmly and after 20 minutes France repeated the semi-final result of the 2022 World Cup against Morocco: 2-0. Mbappe ran around the field for a few minutes after the game, hugging his teammates and acknowledging the rest of the Moroccans.

“I’m fine. I got hit on the ankle but everything is fine. JP [Mateta] he was able to outplay me for the last 15 minutes,” Mbappe said after the game, according to ESPN.

There will likely be speculation in the coming days as France prepare to play the winner of Spain-Belgium in Tuesday’s semi-final in Dallas as to whether he will be 100%, but Mbappe was quick to quash speculation during an interview on the pitch after the game.

“I’m fine, I knocked my ankle but everything is fine,” he said.

In the mixed media after the game, Mbappe told the more than 100 media who had gathered: Fill in the QUOTES HERE.

His coach, Didier Deschamps, also said that Mbappe “had a little pain in his ankle.” But the expectation, less than five days from the start of the semi-final, is that he will be ready to go.

Until we see that, there’s at least a little doubt here… maybe? Do we want any reason to doubt which team was the best in this world cup? If nothing else, the question of Mbappe’s injury brings an extra layer of drama to a tournament full of stars and stories and credibility all around.

We still don’t know exactly what caused it, but Noussair Mazraoui’s yellow card on Mbappe in the 25th minute must have played a role. (Mbappe, shockingly, missed the ensuing PK.)

With this World Cup in America, I think we all hope to get more out of this experience. That means the big stars keep doing what they do. That means Mbappe is on the pitch as much as possible, although I can offer another view of what happened here: Mbappe felt the game was in hand. He knows his teammates are more than good enough. Thursday’s affair was one-sided: France thrashed Morocco 22-5, including 8-1 on target in the process. The expected total goals was 3.05 to 0.14, the result dropped so much that 0.79 came and the penalty seemed to not matter. They didn’t need their best to cover this up. Morocco has never beaten France.

Therefore, he felt depressed and wanted to allow one more part. He could rest and avoid any further possible injury. Just be prepared Spain or In Belgium. That seems like a smart play. At that time in the game, Mbappe reminded the world again, as he has done in every game, that he is a reliable scorer in sports.

After missing two chances and being stonewalled in the penalty shootout, Mbappe broke the 0-0 tie in the 60th minute with a drive into the bottom right corner of the net. He had the ball at his feet, in traffic, just inside the goalkeeper’s box, for a whole second. A little daylight was all he needed to bend the ball through Issa Diop and curled it beyond the outstretched arms of the Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Embarrassed by half the opposition with bogeys throughout the game, there’s nothing stopping Mbappe from finding one of his shots to tickle the twine. Mbappé now sits one goal behind Lionel Messi for most World Cup goals (21 to 20). He has done this in 20 games. An average of one goal per game is 27 years old.

After six minutes, Mbappe stopped his teammates Ousmane Dembele with the second goal of the game, giving Mbappe a combined 11 goals, leading all players in this World Cup.

Here is France in their third consecutive World Cup semi-final, joining Brazil again In Germany as only countries do that. The team has not lost a competitive game in over a year. It has been the best watch in this World Cup and at the center of it is Mbappe.

If anyone is going to beat France, they will have to do it while reducing the number 10. The saddest thing about this team is that they may not need him healthy to win two more games and produce one of the best players in the World Cup.