Real Madrid captain Kylian Mbappe and Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate will miss France’s crucial 2026 World Cup qualifier against Iceland on Monday, where Les Bleus could secure their place at next year’s tournament.
Mbappe, who was already nursing a minor ankle injury from his club duties at Real Madrid, sustained two additional knocks during France’s 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan in Paris on Friday. Despite opening the scoring, the 26-year-old forward was substituted before the final whistle after the pain became too severe.
“He has a sore ankle and he took a knock there. He preferred to come off; the pain was quite significant,” France manager Didier Deschamps explained after the match.
The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed that after returning to the Clairefontaine training base on Friday night, “the French team captain spoke with Didier Deschamps who acknowledged his absence.”
The statement added that Mbappe “has been released to his club Real Madrid and will not be replaced.”
Mbappe’s withdrawal compounds France’s attacking woes, with Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Marcus Thuram and Bradley Barcola already unavailable for October’s World Cup qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Konate, who remained on the bench against Azerbaijan with a right thigh problem, has also been released back to Liverpool. Marseille’s Benjamin Pavard will take his place in the squad for Monday’s encounter in Reykjavik.
The FFF revealed that Konate had joined the national team carrying a slight injury and “underwent treatment and a specific protocol but will not be able to play Monday in Reykjavik.”
Against Azerbaijan, Mbappe found the net on the stroke of half-time before being caught by a tackle from Rustam Ahmedzade. He suffered another blow to the same ankle late in the match, prompting his substitution for Florian Thauvin.
Adrien Rabiot and substitute Thauvin also scored as Deschamps’s side maintained their perfect start to Group D with three wins from three matches.
France will guarantee their passage to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico if they defeat Iceland on Monday and Ukraine fail to beat Azerbaijan.
