The 2026 World Cup has not even started, and Kylian Mbappe is already generating friction within the France national team, and not because of anything that has happened on the pitch. Reports have surfaced claiming that Ousmane Dembele confronted him about his defensive effort, and Mbappe’s decision to leave the team’s training camp on the final day has sparked further discontent among supporters.
France‘s last pre-tournament friendly came against Northern Ireland at the Decathlon Arena in Lille, a match designed in part as a farewell to the home fans ahead of the trip to North America. While Mbappe featured in the game, his departure from the training camp just hours after the final whistle drew scrutiny once it became public.
The exit itself had been authorized by the federation, as Mbappe had personal matters to attend to, but the discomfort only grew when images began circulating on social media showing him in Madrid with his girlfriend, Ester Esposito. To many French supporters, the timing, coming so close to the team’s departure for the World Cup, read as a signal of misplaced priorities.
The episode adds fuel to a controversy that had already been building following a report from L’Equipe, which claimed that Dembele confronted Mbappe in the locker room, urging him to take a more active role in pressing and ball recovery. The conversation reignited the long-running debate surrounding Mbappe’s commitment to the defensive phase, a part of the game that has never been a hallmark of his style, particularly in contrast to his former PSG teammate.
A feud between Mbappe and Kante?
Beyond the Dembele episode and his post-camp excursion, the atmosphere within France’s dressing room has raised further eyebrows. One moment in particular went viral after footage captured what appeared to be a noticeably cold exchange between Mbappe and N’Golo Kante.
In the tunnel before taking the field against Ivory Coast, Kante was seen warmly greeting every player in the squad, but when he reached Mbappe, both men visibly looked away from each other, with no handshake or acknowledgment exchanged. One reported source of the tension dates back to March 29, 2026, during the France vs. Colombia match, when Kante, wearing the captain’s armband for the first time on his birthday, was asked to hand it over when Mbappe entered the field with roughly ten minutes remaining.
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France takes off to the United States
Despite the turbulence surrounding their captain, France have departed for the United States and are preparing to make their presence felt at the 2026 World Cup. The squad flew out of Le Bourget airport near Paris, and after an eight-hour flight, Les Bleus are landing in Boston on Wednesday night, which will serve as their base of operations throughout the tournament.
Following a 2-1 defeat against Ivory Coast and a 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland in their warm-up games, France open their World Cup campaign on Tuesday, June 16, against Sadio Mane’s Senegal in Group I. With Iraq and Erling Haaland’s Norway also in the group, Deschamps will need the best version of Mbappe to navigate what is widely considered the most difficult group of the tournament.
