Kylian Mbappé Shares Open Letter to France Fans After 2026 World Cup

One week after the 2026 World Cup concluded, Kylian Mbappé, captain of France’s national team, published an open letter in several leading French newspapers. At 27, Mbappé led the tournament's scoring charts and took a moment to thank his teammates, outgoing coach Didier Deschamps and his staff, as well as fans who traveled to America or followed the matches from afar.

"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 admitted, reflecting on France's 2-0 semifinal loss to Spain, the eventual champions.

France then faced England in the Bronze final but fell short again, losing 6-4. Mbappé acknowledged that the ending was disappointing for supporters, yet emphasized the team's dedication: "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."

A New Chapter for Les Bleus

With Didier Deschamps stepping down, the French squad prepares for a new phase under Zinédine Zidane, who is expected to be officially named the next head coach on Tuesday. Mbappé's letter highlighted hope for the future: "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."