France captain Kylian Mbappe admitted his side failed to execute their tactical plan against Spain after Les Bleus suffered a 2-0 defeat in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal, conceding that the Spaniards deserved their place in the final.
Speaking to Fox after the match, as quoted by The Athletic, Mbappe said France had intended to press Spain aggressively and prevent them from controlling possession but failed to impose themselves in midfield.
“It was difficult for us. Tactically, we had a plan to go for them with pressure, to go one for one, to not let them lead the tempo and play the way they want to play. They want to have control of the game and the ball,” Mbappe said.
The France skipper acknowledged that Spain’s midfield dictated proceedings throughout the contest, making it difficult for his side to recover after conceding.
“That’s what we let them do. We let the midfield too much time to play and they have the quality to play. It’s difficult when you don’t change the plan of Spain. The penalty helped (them) also to come in the game and then they scored the second goal and we didn’t have the quality to get to the final,” he added.
Mbappe, who has been France’s standout performer at the tournament, accepted responsibility for the defeat and said criticism was part of being the national team’s captain.
“You take all the glory when you win, when you don’t win but 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 to us,” he said.
France will now turn their attention to Saturday’s third-place playoff, which will also mark Didier Deschamps’ final match in charge of the national team after a hugely successful managerial tenure.
Paying tribute to his outgoing manager, Mbappe said Deschamps’ legacy remained unchanged despite the semifinal disappointment.
“Nothing changed about what Didier means to us as the French people, as a manager,” Mbappe said.
“There is one game left for him and we have to play the best game for him because he deserves it and the fans deserve it, to finish third in this World Cup,” he added.
Spain secured their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final with goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro at Dallas Stadium. La Roja will now face either defending champions Argentina or England in the title clash, while France will seek to end their campaign on a positive note in the third-place playoff.
