Kylian Mbappe admitted France were second best after their 2-0 defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final, saying his side failed both tactically and technically on a night that ended their hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.
The France captain, who remains level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi on eight goals in the race for the Golden Boot, suggested Les Bleus never managed to disrupt Spain’s rhythm and allowed their opponents to dominate midfield throughout the contest.
France failed to unsettle Spain
Mbappe felt France’s pressing plan never worked against a Spain side orchestrated by Rodri and Fabian Ruiz.
“We were three against two in midfield and against Spain that’s very difficult,” Mbappe told reporters after the match.
“Rodri and Fabian had too much time on the ball. We lacked communication when we pressed. Maybe we should have gone man-to-man and forced them into situations where they had to run with us.”
2010 winners, Spain, are through to their second @FIFAWorldCup final in history! 👏🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/kT7KGJOajX
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) July 14, 2026
Spain controlled possession for long spells before Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the penalty spot in the first half and Pedro Porro added the second after the break.
‘We didn’t play our football’
Rather than blaming refereeing decisions or individual mistakes, Mbappe said France simply failed to execute their own game plan.
“We didn’t play the football we wanted, technically or tactically,” he said.
“When you don’t do what you’re supposed to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don’t win.”
He acknowledged Spain deserved the victory because they imposed their style from the opening whistle.
“They respected their plan. They like controlling the ball and controlling the tempo. Our idea was to press high so they couldn’t settle into their rhythm.
“We couldn’t do it. We were too sloppy technically and when we had opportunities to hurt them, we didn’t.”
First touch let France down
Mbappe also pointed to France’s inability to keep possession after winning the ball back.
“Even when we recovered the ball, our first touch wasn’t good enough. Every time that happens, you give the ball straight back to a team like Spain.”
“It is a huge disappointment, but if we’re honest with ourselves, we didn’t do enough to deserve a place in the final.”
Captain takes responsibility
The Real Madrid forward, who was booked late in the match after colliding with Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon, accepted responsibility as captain for the defeat.
“As captain, I take full responsibility. I have no problem saying that,” Mbappe said.
“We wanted to reach the final. We didn’t.”
France will now face the loser of the Argentina-England semi-final in Saturday’s third-place play-off, while Spain move on to Sunday’s World Cup final.
