Read 3 minutesUpdated: 15 July 2026 08:46 AM IST
France captain Kylian Mbappe has shouldered the blame for his side’s semi-final exit, admitting Les Bleus failed to execute their game plan and suffered a 2-0 defeat to Spain at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
“When you win you take all the glory, when you win you have to take the blame. It’s part of my game, my life and as captain I have to take all the responsibility. We wanted to go to the final, we didn’t and we have to take what people say,” Mbappe said. Fox Sports This defeat ended their quest for a third consecutive World Cup final.
France were beaten clinically by a Spain team that was compact in defense and dangerous in attack. Mikel Oyarzabal converted the penalty to put Spain ahead before Pedro Porro doubled the lead for Luis de la Fuente’s side.
As happened | Spain vs France FIFA World Cup 2026 Semi Final Highlights
Reflecting on the tactical failure, Mbappe said the team’s plan was to pressure Spain aggressively and deny them control in midfield, but admitted they fell short of that objective.
“It was difficult for us. Tactically, our plan was to press them, go one-on-one, not let them dictate the tempo and play the way they want to play. They want control of the game and the ball,” he said.
The French captain admitted that Spain’s midfield had been given too much freedom, allowing La Rosa to dominate the contest.
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“We let them do that. We gave the midfield a lot of time to play and they have the quality to play. It’s difficult when you don’t change Spain’s plan. The penalty helped them get into the game and then they scored the second goal and we didn’t have the quality to go to the final,” he added.
Saturday’s third place play-off will be Didier Deschamps’ last as France manager. Asked about the importance of that match, Mbappe said: “Nothing has changed about what Didier means to us French people as a manager. He has one game left and we have to play our best for him because he deserves it and the fans deserve it to finish third in this World Cup.”
France will now play in the play-off for third place, while Spain will face defending champions Argentina or England in the title race.