Kylian Mbappe said France has the “most potential” but are not yet their strongest side after scoring in a 2-0 win over Morocco to send Les Bleus into the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals.
Kylian Mbappe leads France into World Cup semifinals but insists 'we're not the strongest'. Credit: FIFA
France captain Kylian Mbappe described the current French side as the national team’s “most potential-filled” generation but insisted it cannot yet be considered the strongest after Les Bleus defeated Morocco 2-0 to book a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals.
France ended Morocco’s spirited campaign with a clinical second-half display in Thursday’s quarterfinal. After a goalless opening 45 minutes, Mbappe broke the deadlock in the 60th minute before Ousmane Dembele added a second to seal victory and send France into the last four, where they will face either Spain or Belgium on July 14.
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Despite another dominant performance, Mbappe was quick to temper expectations, saying the current French squad still has to earn its place among the country’s greatest teams.
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“I don’t know if it’s the strongest. I was a world champion and a world runner-up, and this team hasn’t achieved that yet,” Mbappe told L’Equipe.
“However, it’s undoubtedly the one with the most potential. It’s a team you can imagine a great future with. There’s a lot of quality and it allows us to dream. But until proven otherwise, it hasn’t won anything yet. The strongest teams are the ones that win trophies.”
The 27-year-old, who lifted the World Cup in 2018 and finished runner-up in 2022, said reaching a third consecutive World Cup semifinal was another significant milestone for the squad.
“It’s always a great moment. It’s an important step for the team, and for the more experienced players, it’s our third semifinal,” he said.
Mbappe added that he has no preference over whether France face Spain or Belgium in the semifinals.
“Right now, I’m mainly focused on recovering. We’ll watch the match tomorrow, and whoever comes through, it will be another big challenge.”
Mbappe stressed that France’s talent must continue translating into results on the pitch.
“We’re aware of this team’s potential, but potential alone doesn’t win matches. You have to prove it on the pitch. We have confidence in ourselves, but we still have a lot to prove if we want to be considered a nearly invincible team,” he said.
Mbappe also reflected on the first-half penalty he failed to convert, admitting the lengthy VAR review disrupted his concentration.
“I didn’t handle it well. There was a lot of confusion with the VAR review. I let myself get distracted. I’d imagined many scenarios before taking a penalty, but never this one. I’ll have to adapt,” he admitted.
The missed spot-kick mattered little as Mbappe responded after the break with his eighth goal of the tournament before Dembele wrapped up the victory.
The strike saw Mbappe become the youngest player to reach 20 FIFA World Cup appearances and the fastest to score 20 World Cup goals. His overall tally of 20 goals across the 2018, 2022 and 2026 tournaments leaves him just one behind Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup record of 21.
Mbappe also moved level with Messi on eight goals in the race for the 2026 Golden Boot, while Opta statistics show he has now scored the winning goal in eight World Cup matches, more than any player in the tournament’s history.
The France captain also became the first player in the nation’s history to be directly involved in 100 international goals, taking his tally to 64 goals and 36 assists for Les Bleus.
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