Real Madrid striker and France captain Kylian Mbappé has opened up about the political climate in both France and the United States, just one month before the 2026 World Cup kicks off (June 11 – July 19). In an interview with American magazine Vanity Fair, published on Tuesday, the 27-year-old shared his thoughts on whether the French national team might reconsider traveling to North America due to the concerning political atmosphere in the United States, which co-hosts the tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.
“I don’t have the necessary knowledge to know what it takes to organize a World Cup. If you asked me to organize one, you might be in for some surprises. If FIFA decides that it must be held in the United States, then they believe everything is manageable and that we can come here,” Mbappé stated. He also emphasized his role as a citizen, recalling the 2024 French legislative elections, when he and several other France players spoke out against the rise of the far-right National Rally, calling it “catastrophic.”
Reflecting on that period, the Bondy native said, “It shocked us. We are citizens, and we couldn’t just sit back, tell ourselves everything would be fine, and go play. We have to fight against the idea that a footballer should just play and shut up.” He added, “I know what it means for my country when people like them come to power. We are not disconnected from what happens in our country. People sometimes think that because we have money and are famous, this kind of problem doesn’t affect us. But it does affect me—I know what it means for my country when people like them take the reins.”
When asked about attacks on some French players based on their origins, the 2018 World Cup winner replied, “I think it’s simply cultural. We are French! The French love to complain. So French people judging other French people leads to that. We criticize everything. And I say ‘we’ because I’m like that too!” He then tempered his remark, adding, “But I think the new generation is trying to change that mentality.”
