Overview

• Kylian Mbappé scored and assisted against Azerbaijan before leaving with a right‑ankle issue, and the FFF confirmed he is out for Iceland, has returned to Real Madrid and will not be replaced.
• France lead Group D with three wins from three and can clinch qualification on Monday with a victory in Reykjavik if Ukraine do not beat Azerbaijan.
• Adrien Rabiot doubled the lead with a header from a Mbappé cross, and Florian Thauvin marked his surprise recall with a late goal on his return to the national team.
• The attack is stretched by injuries to Ousmane Dembélé, Marcus Thuram, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki, prompting debates over a switch back to 4-2-3-1 and whether to start Hugo Ekitiké or Jean‑Philippe Mateta up front.
• Spanish outlets AS and Marca criticized France’s decision to play Mbappé given his recent ankle discomfort at Real Madrid, underscoring club‑country tensions over player management.