Following France’s 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan on Friday, moving closer to qualifying for the FIFA 2026 World Cup, Kylian Mbappe suffered an injury that will cost him being unavailable against Iceland.
Mbappe will be sidelined for Monday’s qualifier in Iceland, where France could secure their spot in the World Cup, after aggravating an existing issue with his right ankle, as confirmed by the French team.
Already dealing with a minor injury to his right ankle from his time at Real Madrid, Mbappe endured two hits during the match against Azerbaijan in Paris, where he scored the opening goal but was substituted before the match concluded.
His absence adds to the growing list of forwards unavailable for the October World Cup qualifiers, which includes Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Marcus Thuram, and Bradley Barcola.
According to a statement from the French Football Federation (FFF), “Mbappe will not be able to play against Iceland on Monday.”
After returning to the Clairefontaine training facility on Friday night, “the French team captain spoke with coach Didier Deschamps,” who “acknowledged his absence.”
The FFF also noted that Mbappe “has been released to his club (Real Madrid) and will not be replaced.”
The French star had already been given rest during training with the national team earlier in the week due to the same issue.
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He scored just before halftime but was then tackled by Rustam Ahmedzade. He sustained another hit to the same ankle late in the match and was substituted for Florian Thauvin.
“He has a sore ankle and took a hit there. He preferred to come off; the pain was quite significant,” Deschamps commented after the victory.
Adrien Rabiot and substitute Thauvin also scored as Deschamps’s team remained unbeaten after three matches, sitting at the top of Group D.
Les Bleus can secure their passage to the United States, Canada, and Mexico next year if they win against Iceland on Monday and Ukraine fails to defeat Azerbaijan.
