Kylian Mbappe is getting treatment for a small problem in his right ankle after joining the France national team for the World Cup 2026 qualifiers. France coach Didier Deschamps said that it is nothing serious and that the medical team is keeping a close watch on him.
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The injury happened at the end of Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday. After that, there were doubts about whether Mbappe would be fit to play for France in the matches against Azerbaijan and Iceland. Deschamps said he spoke to Mbappe and confirmed that it is a minor issue. He added that if the injury was serious, Mbappe would not have joined the team at Clairefontaine. The coach said they would take time with the medical team to check his condition before deciding if he will play.
Another French player, Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate, also had to go through tests after getting hurt in his team’s 2-1 loss to Chelsea on Saturday. Both Mbappe and Konate received treatment during training on Monday and will continue treatment on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola has been sent back home from the France camp. The French Football Federation said that Barcola has been suffering from a long-term hamstring problem since PSG’s Champions League match against Atalanta on September 17.
However, PSG disagreed with this statement. The club said that the information shared by the national team does not match the medical reports they had given. PSG also said that after their recent match against Lille, there was no sign of a chronic injury in Barcola’s report. Barcola played 60 minutes in the Ligue 1 game against Lille and showed no clear signs of pain before being substituted.
If Barcola is forced to rest, PSG’s injury problems could increase. The club already has many key players out with injuries, including Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Marquinhos, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Fabian Ruiz, and Joao Neves.
Recently, there has also been some tension between PSG and the France national team. PSG had earlier criticized the national team staff after Dembele and Doue were injured during France’s opening Group D match against Ukraine.
France is currently at the top of Group D in the World Cup 2026 qualifying matches, with two wins from two games. They will play Azerbaijan at PSG’s Parc des Princes stadium on Friday and then travel to Iceland for their next match on Monday.
Deschamps said the team will make careful decisions about player fitness in the coming days. The coach wants to keep all players healthy while maintaining the team’s good form in the qualifiers.