“I Have No Problem Taking All Responsibility” – Mbappé After France Loss

According to a report by Nigerian Tribune on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, after Tuesday’s semi-final match, France captain Kylian Mbappe addressed his team’s elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup by acknowledging that Spain was the superior team strategically and technically.

The Real Madrid forward admitted that France couldn’t have played the game better, letting their opponents dictate the game’s pace and possession.

As France’s campaign ended short of making it to the tournament final, Mbappe made the comments while thinking about the loss following the final whistle.

Spain advanced to Sunday’s World Cup final with a 2-0 win over France.

Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro scored the winning goals, putting an end to France’s dream of making it to the FIFA World Cup final for a record-tying third year in a row.

The outcome guaranteed Spain’s advancement to the tournament final, while France’s national team was eliminated in the semi-finals despite coming into the match with hopes of defending their world crown.

Mbappe stated after the game that France failed to implement their pre-match strategy.

He elaborated on how Spain were able to play comfortably through the middle of the pitch since the team’s pressing approach had failed to work as planned.

The French captain claimed that his team’s failure to apply consistent pressure allowed Spain to gain the upper hand and prevented them from regaining momentum in the game’s pivotal moments.

Mbappe went on to praise Rodri and Fabián Ruiz, Spain’s central midfield duo, saying they were the ones that kept France from becoming too comfortable and controlled the game.

Keeping possession and establishing midfield control were challenges for Les Bleus, he said, which contributed to Spain’s tactical and technical dominance.

The forward admitted that France’s lengthy stints chasing the ball made it tough for them to generate persistent attacking pressure.

Mbappe, as captain of the French national team, took responsibility after additional reflection on the loss.

He went on to say that taking responsibility when things didn’t work out as planned was another part of managing the team.

The Real Madrid forward acknowledged the demands placed on him as captain and expressed disappointment that France did not advance to the World Cup final. However, he made it clear that he was prepared to take responsibility for the outcome.

He said, “As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility, and I have no problem with that. We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”