France players have rejected suggestions that refereeing decisions were responsible for their 2-0 defeat to Spain in Tuesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final, admitting their own performance fell below expectations. The defeat ended France’s hopes of reaching a second consecutive World Cup final, with captain Kylian Mbappe and teammate Rayan……
France players have rejected suggestions that refereeing decisions were responsible for their 2-0 defeat to Spain in Tuesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final, admitting their own performance fell below expectations.
The defeat ended France’s hopes of reaching a second consecutive World Cup final, with captain Kylian Mbappe and teammate Rayan Cherki pointing to technical errors and poor execution rather than officiating.
According to posts by Fabrizio Romano, reacting after the match, Cherki described the result as a huge disappointment but insisted the referee was not to blame.
“It’s a big disappointment. It’s not about the ref. We didn’t play the football we’re used to play; while Spain did,” he said.
Mbappe echoed the same sentiment, admitting France failed to meet the standard expected at the semi-final stage of the tournament.
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“We did too many technical mistakes. It wasn’t up to the standard of a World Cup semi-final,” the France captain said.
He also admitted that France failed to execute their pressing strategy against the Spaniards.
“Right from the start, we were pressing three against two… and we messed up there. Against Spain, you have to press man for man.
“Our touches and movement were not worthy of a World Cup semi-final,” Mbappe added.
Their comments come amid widespread debate over officiating at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with several teams and fans raising concerns over refereeing decisions during the tournament. However, the France players insisted their elimination was a consequence of their own shortcomings rather than any perceived bias from match officials.
