France’s captain, Kylian Mbappé, will be sidelined for Monday’s World Cup qualifier against Iceland due to a right ankle injury, as announced by the French Football Federation (FFF) on Saturday.
The Real Madrid forward contributed to France’s 3-0 win over Azerbaijan on Friday but had to leave the field limping in the 83rd minute. He had previously sustained a similar injury when playing against Villarreal just before the international break.
France confirmed that Mbappé will not travel to Reykjavik and will instead return to Madrid for treatment.
The FFF stated, “Upon returning to Clairefontaine, the French team captain had a conversation with Didier Deschamps. The national coach has confirmed his absence. Kylian Mbappé has been released to his club and will not be replaced.”
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France, who finished as runners-up in the 2022 World Cup, have made a strong start in their 2026 qualification campaign, winning all three matches in Group D thus far.
Reporting by ESPN’s Madrid correspondent Alex Kirkland contributed to this article.