ARLINGTON, United States, July 15, 2026 (v7n)– Kylian Mbappe rued the end of France's World Cup dream on Tuesday, blaming tactical and technical blunders for his side's 2-0 semi-final defeat to Spain.
Mbappe had emerged as one of the tournament's stars during France's run to the last four, scoring eight goals at the tip of a free-scoring attack. But the 27-year-old captain's hopes of a third straight World Cup final appearance ended abruptly as Spain outplayed Les Bleus at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Speaking to French broadcaster M6, Mbappe called the loss a "huge disappointment" and said: "I don't think we played the match we wanted to play—whether tactically, technically, or in terms of our overall performance level. And when you don't do what you're supposed to do in a World Cup semi-final, you don't win."
Mbappe pinpointed the midfield as the crux of the problem, where France's duo of 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... When you put it all together, the result is a defeat."
Despite the disappointment, Mbappe said the squad would bounce back: "It was a dream for us to reach the final... Now, we have to face it with our heads held high. I believe that when you win, you win with your head held high; so when you lose, you have to lose with your head held high, too. But right now, there is immense disappointment. I find it hard to put into words just how disappointed the squad and I are. Yet even if it might seem robotic, we have to pick ourselves up, go on vacation, and move on to the next chapter. Because football waits for no one."
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