Mbappé's Open Letter to France Fans After 2026 World Cup

Kylian Mbappé Addresses French Supporters After World Cup

One week after the 2026 World Cup wrapped up, Kylian Mbappé, captain of the French national team, published an open letter in several major French newspapers on Monday. The 27-year-old forward, who led the tournament in scoring, used this message to thank his teammates, outgoing coach Didier Deschamps and his staff, as well as fans who followed the team both in America and from home.

“We didn’t bring home the trophy. It hurts and it will continue to hurt for a while, I’m not going to lie to you about that,” Mbappé wrote, reflecting on France’s 2-0 defeat to Spain in the semi-finals. Spain went on to win the tournament.

France’s campaign ended with another loss, a 6-4 defeat against England in the Bronze final. Mbappé acknowledged that fans might have hoped for a better ending but emphasized the effort put forth by the team. “We don’t always choose the end of the story, we choose what we put into it, and we put everything in it. This is something we are proud of.”

With Didier Deschamps stepping down, the French national team is set to enter a new chapter under Zinédine Zidane, who is expected to be officially named the next Les Bleus coach on Tuesday. Mbappé closed his letter with a hopeful note: “This World Cup is over, but the story goes on. There will be other games, other summer or winter evenings where we’ll all come together again in front of this same game, with the same desire intact. We’re not done playing together. Thank you for everything.”