Kylian Mbappe has blamed France's tactical and technical shortcomings for their 2-0 World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain on Tuesday at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Speaking after the match on July 14, 2026, the Real Madrid forward, who was hoping to reach a third consecutive World Cup final, pointed to France's midfield struggles as Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni were overrun by Spain's trio of Rodri, Dani Olmo, and Fabian Ruiz.
"We kept finding ourselves outnumbered 3-on-2 in midfield, and against Spain, that's a real problem," Mbappe said. "When you put it all together, the result is a defeat. It's a huge disappointment," he told French broadcaster M6.
Mbappe admitted France failed to execute their game plan.
"I don't think we played the match we wanted to play—whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level," he said.
"When you don't do what you're supposed to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don't win. Our goal was to press them high up the pitch to prevent them from settling into that slow, controlled rhythm because, when it comes to controlling the game, they are better than us. We failed to do that."
Mbappe was one of the standout performers of the tournament, scoring eight goals to finish level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. However, the 27-year-old's dream of reaching another World Cup final came to an end in Arlington.
The defeat also marks the end of an era for France head coach Didier Deschamps, whose tenure with Les Bleus concludes after a remarkable 12-year spell. Appointed in 2012, Deschamps led France to the 2014 World Cup quarter-finals, won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, reached the 2022 final in Qatar, and guided the team to the 2026 semi-finals.
Former France captain and Deschamps' 1998 World Cup-winning teammate, Zinedine Zidane, is widely rumoured to be the leading candidate to succeed him as France manager.