Deschamps clears Mbappe to play after ankle scare in France's 2-0 win over Morocco

Didier Deschamps has cleared Kylian Mbappe to continue at the 2026 World Cup after the France captain was withdrawn late in a 2-0 quarter-final win over Morocco in Boston, having taken two blows to his right ankle in the second half.

Mbappe, 27, recovered from missing a first-half penalty to open the scoring on the hour mark before teeing up Ousmane Dembele for France’s second. Shortly after breaking the deadlock, he absorbed a strong challenge from Morocco’s Issa Diop and then suffered a second knock to the same ankle in the 76th minute, prompting Deschamps to substitute him immediately as a precaution.

The forward sat on the bench with an ice pack on the ankle, but was seen jumping up and down during the full-time celebrations — a sight that appeared to match his manager’s relaxed assessment afterwards.

“For Kylian, there’s no problem, he felt a little pain in his ankle, but it’s normal,” Deschamps said. “He never doubts himself, even in physical and tough games. He missed the penalty, but he’s a guy who gives us so much, delivers so much, with so much volume, and always blesses France with his opportunities.”

The goal moved Mbappe level with Lionel Messi on eight strikes in the race for the Golden Boot and was his 20th in as many World Cup appearances. He also became the first France player to reach 100 goal involvements for the national team, reaching the milestone in just 104 games.

For Deschamps, who will leave his role at the end of the tournament, the win sealed a third consecutive World Cup semi-final appearance — a run he described as feeling “logical and natural” while acknowledging the difficulty of the contest. “It was a difficult game because we missed some chances after the penalty,” he added.

France, the first nation to secure a semi-final spot at this tournament, are guaranteed at least two more games on US soil. They will face the winner of Friday’s quarter-final between Spain and Belgium in Los Angeles. The third-place play-off is scheduled for Saturday, 18 July, one day before the final.