Didier Deschamps on Thursday night anointed the Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé as captain of the squad for the 2026 football World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Issued on: 14/05/2026 - 21:31
Deschamps, who will leave his post as head coach after the tournament, revealed the 26 names for the 48-team tournament during the evening news programme of the French broadcaster TF1.
Mbappé, 27, will lead a group which includes his Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni as well as the Paris Saint-Germain stars Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaïre-Emery.
Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram and Monaco's rising star Magnes Akliouche join Mbappé in the front line along with surprise choice Jean-Philippe Mateta from the English Premier League outfit Crystal Palace
