Mbappe hails France fans in emotional message after 2026 World Cup heartbreak

Kylian Mbappe has broken his silence following France’s exit from the 2026 World Cup, issuing a lengthy message in which he said pride in the team’s efforts outweighed the disappointment of failing to win the title.

In a letter published by several media outlets on Monday, the France captain and Real Madrid forward expressed deep gratitude to supporters who followed Les Bleus throughout the tournament.

“Thank you,” Mbappe wrote. “A month full of emotions, in which we pushed ourselves beyond our limits. A month of pride in wearing the colours of France, full of the passion that drives us on the pitch and drives you too, in front of your screens and in the stands.”

Mbappe, currently on holiday before joining up with Real Madrid under new coach Jose Mourinho, admitted the manner of France’s elimination was painful and would take time to digest.

“We didn’t win a collective trophy and that hurts and will hurt for some time, I won’t lie to you about that,” the 27-year-old said. “Maybe we owed you a better ending, but we don’t always choose how the story ends; we choose what we put into it, and we put everything we had.”

Golden Boot shared with team-mates

Mbappe, who finished the tournament as its top scorer, insisted his individual award belonged as much to his team-mates as to him.

He described the Golden Boot as “the team’s as much as it is mine”, adding: “Without their hard work, their movement, their passes, and without the team spirit that carried us from the first match to the last, I would never have been able to score all those goals.”

The forward also reflected on the personal significance of captaining his country at a World Cup for the first time, having already lifted the trophy once earlier in his career.

“Since I was little, I dreamed of playing in a World Cup, even just once,” he said. “I’ve played in three editions, I’ve won one, and this year I had the honour of playing as captain. I will never forget that.”

Tribute to fans at home and abroad

Mbappe reserved special thanks for fans who adjusted their routines around time differences to watch France’s matches from afar, as well as those who travelled to stadiums on the other side of the world.

He highlighted those who “stayed up late, sometimes until midnight depending on the time difference, to watch us play on the other side of the world,” adding: “You gathered in your homes, in cafes, with your families or friends, all across France and beyond. Others were there with us in the stadiums, flags on their shoulders.”

He described the diversity of the support around the team: “Children with shining eyes, men and women from every background and every generation, all united by one joy: the joy of being part of it. That is the power of this sport. And you never let us down, even in the toughest moments, even when we deserved it less.”

Thanks to Deschamps and backroom staff

Mbappe also used his statement to acknowledge coach Didier Deschamps and the entire France backroom team, stressing the role of those who work out of the spotlight.

“Thank you to him and to all his staff: the physios, the cooks, the coaches, the drivers – all those people nobody sees, without whom none of this would be possible,” he said.

‘The World Cup is over, but the story continues’

In closing, Mbappe reflected on what football means to him, calling it a lifelong pursuit that nonetheless remains faithful to its basic principles.

“Football, at its core, remains a game we take seriously, a game we work on all our lives trying to master,” he wrote. “But it is still a game, with simple rules that have not changed since we started playing: the ball, the goal, the desire to score.”

The Real Madrid forward ended on an optimistic note, insisting that both his own journey and that of the national team are far from finished.

“The World Cup is over, but the story goes on,” he concluded. “There will be other matches, other summer or winter evenings when we will all find ourselves in front of this same game, with the same inexhaustible desire. We’re not done playing together. Thank you for everything.”