Kylian Mbappé, forced out after a left‑knee injury against Turkey, will not be replaced as France still has three matches pending.
Zidane could have called up familiar faces like Florian Thauvin, Marcus Thuram, Moussa Diaby or Christopher Nkunku, nor introduced newcomers Enzo Le Fée or Pablo Pagis, both on the provisional list. Yet the coach and his staff chose to leave the squad untouched despite the striker’s setback.
France remain with 22 players – for my money, sticking with the core shows confidence in the squad’s depth. Will this gamble pay off in the October fixtures?
The French federation announced Saturday that the captain, sidelined with a left‑knee issue, stays out. Consequently, a trimmed 22‑player group will face Belgium in Brussels on Monday at 20:45, then host Italy and the Netherlands on 2 October and 5 October at the Stade de France. Zidane’s team flew from Turkey around 11:30 to Brussels, while Mbappé left the hotel that morning and returned to Madrid, where his club will assess him.
The injury occurred at the 54th minute of France’s 1‑0 win over Turkey, when the Real Madrid forward went down clutching his left knee, grimacing before limping off. He tried to stay on, but eventually retreated to the dressing room. Zidane told TF1, “It’s not looking good, unfortunately. We won’t take any risks. He suffered a hyper‑extension in his knee.”