Mbappé expected to be fit for France's semi-final with Spain despite ankle knock

What happened

Kylian Mbappé is expected to be fit for France's World Cup semi-final against Spain after playing down the ankle injury he sustained in the quarter-final win over Morocco. According to CBS Sports, the France captain was withdrawn in the closing stages against Morocco with ice on his ankle but insisted afterwards that the problem was minor and that he was "completely fine."

Coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged Mbappé had felt "a bit of pain" but signalled no concern, and reports of the medical assessment point to a minor sprain rather than anything that would rule him out, per Sports Mole.

Why it matters

As the tournament's leading forward and France's central attacking threat, Mbappé's availability shapes the biggest tie of the last four. France have leaned heavily on his goals through an unbeaten run, and any doubt over the semi-final would alter both their approach and the balance of a match against the European champions.

His fitness also frames a marquee individual subplot, with Mbappé leading the scoring charts and set to line up against Spain's Lamine Yamal in a meeting of the tournament's standout attackers.

Context

Mbappé took the knock late in France's 2-0 quarter-final win in Boston, a game he had earlier influenced with a goal and an assist despite missing a penalty. France reached the semi-finals as the only side to win all six of their matches in normal time, and are the holders' conquerors after eliminating Morocco.

Spain, unbeaten and defensively miserly, edged Belgium 2-1 to reach the last four, setting up the July 14 meeting in Dallas.

What to watch next

The immediate focus is whether Mbappé starts and, if so, how freely he can move on the ankle against a disciplined Spain defence. Deschamps' team selection and any managed workload will offer the clearest read on his condition, as will France's contingency if he is anything less than fully fit. The winner advances to the final on July 19.