Kylian Mbappe suffers ankle injury with France

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has withdrawn from the France squad with an ankle injury but is expected to be fit for his club’s next match against Elche.

Kylian Mbappe has officially withdrawn from the France national squad, confirming that the Real Madrid attacker is suffering with inflammation in his ankle and will undergo tests upon returning to his club.

The 26-year-old was pulled from the team ahead of Sunday’s 2026 World Cup qualification fixture with Azerbaijan.

The withdrawal comes immediately after Mbappe’s prolific performance against Ukraine on Thursday, where he scored twice to register his 399th and 400th senior career goals for France.

That 4-0 victory ensured Didier Deschamps’ side secured their spot at next summer’s tournament with a game to spare.

According to a report from ESPN, “neither France nor Real Madrid are concerned by the issue, and the attacker is expected to be involved in his club side’s next match against Elche on November 23.”

This optimistic outlook suggests the inflammation is minor and should settle in the coming days, allowing the forward to return to training next week. However, the report outlined more serious, albeit unlikely, possibilities for recovery time.

It noted that “a grade one issue could mean one to two weeks on the sidelines, while a grade two would see him miss three to six weeks, potentially ruling out for the remainder of 2025.”

A grade three tear, which could sideline a player for as long as six months, is described as an outcome that “it would be very surprising if that issue was confirmed for Mbappe.”

Mbappe has been in remarkable form for Real Madrid during the 2025-26 campaign, recording 18 goals and two assists in 16 appearances across all competitions.

Real Madrid is set to return to La Liga action against Elche on November 23, before heading to Olympiacos in the Champions League three days later.