Kylian Mbappé has warned that France’s place in the World Cup semi-finals should not be mistaken for success, despite describing the current squad as the most promising he has represented.

France moved into the final four with a 2-0 quarter-final victory over Morocco at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on Thursday.

Mbappé recovered from a missed first-half penalty to open the scoring with a curling finish in the 60th minute. Ousmane Dembélé doubled the lead six minutes later as Didier Deschamps’ side secured a third consecutive World Cup semi-final appearance.

For Mbappé and several of France’s senior players, another appearance at this stage represents the continuation of a remarkable period of consistency.

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However, the captain was quick to point out that the team must still convert its talent into silverware.

‘It is always a very good moment’

According to L’Équipe’s interview with the France captain, Mbappé described reaching another World Cup semi-final as an important achievement for both the experienced members of the squad and those taking part in the tournament for the first time.

“It is always a very good moment,” Mbappé said. “It is an important step for the group, and for the older players, it is a third semi-final.”

France will meet the winner of Spain’s quarter-final against Belgium, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.

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Mbappé insisted that he had no preferred opponent and was instead concentrating on recovering from the physical demands of the Morocco match.

“Now, I have no preference regarding our future opponent, Spain or Belgium,” he said. “I am mainly thinking about recovery. We will watch the match tomorrow. Whatever happens, it will be a revenge match for someone.”

A meeting with Spain would offer France an opportunity to respond to their Euro 2024 semi-final defeat, while Belgium would have the chance to avenge their loss to Les Bleus at the same stage of the 2018 World Cup.

Potential must be turned into trophies

Mbappé was also asked whether the 2026 squad was the strongest France team he had played in.

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The Real Madrid forward rejected that suggestion, drawing a distinction between a team’s potential and what it has actually achieved.

“I don’t know whether it is the strongest,” he said. “I have been a world champion and a World Cup runner-up, and this team has not achieved that yet.”

However, Mbappé believes the depth and age profile of the current group give France reason to be optimistic about both the remainder of the tournament and the years ahead.

“It is undoubtedly the one with the most potential, the one with which we can look towards the future,” he said.

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“There is an enormous amount of quality in this team, and that allows us to dream. But until proven otherwise, it has not won anything yet.”

The France captain added that talent alone could not determine how the squad should be judged.

“I have always said that the strongest teams are the ones that win trophies,” Mbappé said. “That is not yet the case for this one, so no, it is not the strongest.”

Mbappé admits penalty was poorly taken

Mbappé also addressed his failed penalty against Morocco after Yassine Bounou saved his effort during the first half.

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The spot kick was delayed by a lengthy VAR review before the France captain was finally allowed to take it. Bounou dived in the correct direction and pushed the attempt away.

Mbappé offered a blunt assessment of his execution.

“I didn’t take the penalty well,” he said.

The miss did not ultimately prove costly. Mbappé responded after the interval with his eighth goal of the tournament and the 20th of his World Cup career.

France have now reached the semi-finals at each of the last three World Cups. They won the tournament in 2018 before losing the 2022 final to Argentina on penalties.

Despite that record, Mbappé’s message was clear: the latest generation will be judged not by its promise, but by whether it can finish the competition with the trophy.