Mbappé assumes responsibility after elimination from France

Mbappé assumes responsibility after France's elimination in the World Cup semifinals.

Mbappé takes the blame

French forward Kylian Mbappé will not play in his third consecutive World Cup final. His team lost 2-0 to Spain in the semifinals of the tournament.

“As captain, I have to take full responsibility. I have no problem with that,” Mbappé declared. “We wanted to go to the final and we didn’t make it.”

RelatedFrance advances to the semifinals with a double from Mbappé and Dembelé

Mbappé remains tied with Lionel Messi in the fight for the Golden Boot, with eight goals each. Messi and Argentina face England in the other semifinal.

“In the end, you get all the glory when you win. When you don’t win… it’s part of the game,” added the Frenchman.

France will face the loser of that matchup in the third-place match on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spain will play the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Mbappé had little influence on the match. In the first half he registered only 15 touches, the fewest among the attackers. His most notable play was trying to convince the referee to annul the penalty that led to the first Spanish goal.

His best chance came in the 67th minute, when his shot deflected off defender Marc Cucurella and went just wide. By then, France was already losing 2-0.

“Spain is a team that loves control of the game and the ball. That’s what we allowed them to do. We gave the midfield too much time to play and, in the end, they had the quality to do it. Against Spain, it’s difficult when you don’t change their game. We weren’t at the level that would allow us to reach the final,” Mbappé explained.

The 27-year-old Frenchman received a yellow card in the 86th minute after colliding with Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón.

Mbappé started in the semifinal after being substituted in the quarterfinals against Morocco, where he scored his eighth goal of the tournament. Four years earlier, in Qatar, he also scored eight goals, although France lost the final to Argentina on penalties.

England defeats France 6-4 and takes third place in the World Cup

England beats France 6-4 and secures third place in the 2026 World Cup.

A crazy game in Miami

England and France had a ten-goal match at the Miami Stadium. The “Three Lions” won 6-4 and took third place in the 2026 Soccer World Cup. The French team finished in fourth position.

Two totally different times

In the first half, England completely dominated. They went into the break with a 4-0 lead thanks to goals from Declan Rice (3′), Ezri Konsa (18′) and a double from Bukayo Saka (37′ and 46′).

France reacted in the complement. Kylian Mbappé scored a double (48′ and 58′) and Bradley Barcola added another goal in the 54th minute. Didier Deschamps’ team came dangerously close to a tie.

The closure was electric

Bukayo Saka made it 5-3 with a penalty in the 87th minute, completing his hat trick. France scored with Ousmane Dembélé in the 96th minute, but Jude Bellingham, who had come on as a substitute, made it 6-4 in the 98th minute.

Mbappé makes history

With his two goals, Kylian Mbappé reached 10 goals in the tournament and 22 in World Cups. He is provisionally placed as the competition’s all-time top scorer, waiting for what Lionel Messi does in the final.

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Mexican soccer players join the UNICEF campaign for children

Two young Mexican soccer players join the UNICEF initiative that uses sports to help children.

Young footballers promote the UNICEF campaign

On World Youth Skills Day, Gilberto Mora and Valentina Murrieta joined UNICEF Mexico’s #UnGolPorLaChildren campaign. The objective: to make visible the conditions experienced by millions of girls, boys and adolescents in contexts of deprivation, lack of access to water and humanitarian crises.

Mora, a 17-year-old midfielder from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, was recently called up to the Mexican Senior National Team and participated in the Gold Cup. Murrieta, a U-17 goalkeeper born in Alvarado, Veracruz, saved three penalties against Italy in the Women’s World Cup, an achievement that took Mexico to the semifinals.

The campaign spreads a central message: “The most urgent game is not played on the field.” UNICEF highlighted that both athletes, being teenagers, use their voices to promote the well-being and protection of other minors.

#UnGolPorLaInfancia seeks to convert the passion for soccer into social mobilization. Monthly donations go to protection, nutrition, water access and emergency care programs in Mexico and other regions with humanitarian crises. The initiative brings together footballers, teams and content creators to support children in vulnerable situations.

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Draw Martínez hid his fracture to play in the World Cup

The Argentine goalkeeper revealed a broken finger before the tournament and opted not to have surgery.

Martinez’s injury before the World Cup

The goalkeeper of the Argentine National Team, Emiliano Martínez, revealed that he arrived at the 2026 World Cup with a fracture in the ring finger of his right hand. Despite the recommendation of specialists, he decided not to have surgery so as not to miss the World Cup.

“It still hurts every day, I knew it was going to hurt, I avoided the operation, all the hand specialists I looked for, they all told me that I had to have surgery. The group stage affected me, but today I no longer think, since Egypt, I honestly feel much better,” Martínez declared.

The Aston Villa goalkeeper explained that the pain was constant and uncomfortable. Two days before the start of the tournament, he said that “he seemed handicapped.” However, he preferred to be available for Argentina, which is seeking the two-time world championship, something that has not happened since 1962.

In this World Cup, Martínez has had a less leading role than in Qatar 2022. He himself values it: “It doesn’t affect me at all, I never want to be the leading role, I think in the Copa América it was my turn once, but now, England attacked us a lot and we got ahead with the pressure. I never seek to be the protagonist.”

The Albiceleste is 90 minutes away from making history. Martínez’s decision to play injured reflects his commitment to the team.

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