Mbappe, Konate out of France’s World Cup qualifier

Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe and Ibrahima Konate have been ruled out of Monday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier in Iceland where France could book their ticket to next year’s tournament.

Already suffering from a “small niggle” in his right ankle from playing for Real Madrid, Mbappe took two knocks during Friday’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan in Paris, where he opened the scoring but was substituted before the end of the match.

Liverpool defender Konate remained on the bench with a right thigh problem with his place against Iceland now taken by Marseille’s Benjamin Pavard.

Mbappe’s absence adds to the long list of forwards unavailable for October’s World Cup qualifiers, which includes Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Marcus Thuram and Bradley Barcola. Punch