Kylian Mbappé to miss France pre-Senegal press conference, N'Golo Kanté to step in

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·16 June 2026

Kylian Mbappé to miss France pre-Senegal press conference, N'Golo Kanté to step in

France captain Kylian Mbappé will not address the media on Monday, the eve of their World Cup opener against Senegal, scheduled for 21:00. Vice-captain N'Golo Kanté will take his place.

According to L'Équipe, Didier Deschamps wants to avoid the Real Madrid forward spending several hours in a car to reach the MetLife Stadium before heading to training.

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FIFA did not permit the press conference to be moved to Melanie Lane, the New York Red Bulls' training centre.

Pre-match press conferences are usually led by the captain, particularly before a first World Cup game. At 10:30, US time, Kanté will face questions instead.

Mbappé should attend the eve-of-match press conference before the game against Iraq in Philadelphia on 22 June at 23:00.

Source: L'Équipe