Kylian Mbappé Leaves France Squad After Knee Injury in Zidane’s Winning Debut

Kocaeli, Turkey — September 25, 2026

Kylian Mbappé scored the winning goal as France defeated Turkey 1–0 in the UEFA Nations League on Friday, but the victory was overshadowed when the France captain was forced off with a knee injury shortly after scoring.

Mbappé Scores Before Going Down

Mbappé opened the scoring in the 54th minute after receiving a pass from Michael Olise. The Real Madrid forward finished from inside the penalty area to give France the lead.

However, Mbappé appeared to hurt his left knee during the scoring action. He received treatment immediately after the goal and briefly returned to the field.

Only about a minute later, he went down again and was unable to continue. France coach Zinedine Zidane replaced him with Désiré Doué in the 58th minute.

France Confirms Knee Tendon Injury

The French Football Federation later said Mbappé was suffering from a knee tendon injury and would leave the national team camp to return to Madrid for further treatment.

Zidane said Mbappé had swelling in the knee and that the team did not want to take any unnecessary risks with the 27-year-old forward.

The full extent of the injury and how long Mbappé could be unavailable were not immediately confirmed.

A Winning Start for Zidane

The match was also significant because it marked Zidane’s first game as France’s head coach.

The former France midfielder replaced Didier Deschamps and began his tenure with a 1–0 victory away from home. France controlled the match after taking the lead and held on despite Turkey continuing to look for an equaliser.

Turkey were reduced to 10 players late in the game when goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır was sent off for handling the ball outside his penalty area.

Mbappé’s 67th International Goal

The goal was Mbappé’s 67th for France, extending his record as the country’s leading men’s international scorer.

His performance had initially provided a positive start to the new France era, but his injury quickly became the main concern following the final whistle.

France’s Next Matches

France are scheduled to face Belgium next in the Nations League before hosting Italy at the Stade de France.

Mbappé’s absence from the squad means France will have to prepare for those matches without their captain while he undergoes further assessment in Madrid.

Sources

• Reuters — “France’s Mbappe out of Nations League squad with knee injury,” September 25, 2026.
• Reuters — “Zidane puts early stamp on France off the pitch before winning start,” September 25, 2026.
• Al Jazeera / AFP — “Mbappe goal overshadowed by knee injury to mar Zidane debut France win,” September 25, 2026.
• Reuters Connect — Match photographs from Turkey vs France, September 25, 2026.