Kylian Mbappé has been forced to withdraw from the France national team ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualifier against Iceland after sustaining an ankle injury during Friday’s 3-0 win over Azerbaijan.
The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed that Mbappé, the team captain, will return to his club, Real Madrid, and will not be replaced in the squad. According to the statement, the injury occurred in the 83rd minute of the Azerbaijan match — a game in which Mbappé had already made a significant impact by scoring one goal and providing an assist for another.
This comes after Mbappé had reportedly entered the international break already carrying discomfort in that same ankle, which limited his participation in training with Les Bleus earlier in the week. During the match versus Azerbaijan, he aggraved the issue and opted to come off to avoid worsening it.
Following the substitution, France coach Didier Deschamps explained that Mbappé sustained a blow to the same ankle, and that pain had intensified to a point where continuing was not tenable. While Mbappé had been in outstanding form this season — scoring 14 goals in 10 appearances for Real Madrid before the injury — the FFF indicated that the risk was too high to include him in the upcoming fixture.
France’s perfect run in Group D qualifiers stands for now. With Mbappé unavailable, the team will still travel to Reykjavik to face Iceland, but they will be without their talisman forward. In his absence, Deschamps will need to lean more heavily on other attacking options to maintain France’s potency up front.
This injury raises concerns not only for the national team but also for Real Madrid. The timing is delicate, as Madrid operate on a tight fixture schedule. Reports already suggest that Mbappé might be a doubt for key upcoming matches — including the La Liga clash with Getafe, the Champions League fixture versus Juventus, and possibly even the El Clásico against Barcelona.
In short, Mbappé’s withdrawal highlights a fragile moment for both club and country. As medical assessments continue, all eyes will be on how quickly he recovers and whether he can return for the most critical stretches of the season.
