Kylian Mbappé added another chapter to his remarkable World Cup career during France’s quarter-final victory over Morocco, although this time it was for a record he would rather have avoided. The France captain missed the first World Cup penalty of his career, becoming only the second French player ever to fail from the spot during regulation time at a FIFA World Cup.Despite the setback, Mbappé recovered in familiar fashion by scoring in the second half as France defeated Morocco 2-0 to book their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals. His response mirrored that of Karim Benzema 12 years earlier, with both forwards overcoming a rare penalty miss to find the net later in the same match.
Mbappé misses first World Cup penalty after lengthy VAR delay
The incident unfolded midway through the first half at Boston Stadium.In the 24th minute, Argentine referee Facundo Tello awarded France a penalty after Mbappé went down inside the area following a sliding challenge from Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui. The decision immediately sparked debate, with Moroccan players insisting Mazraoui had not made sufficient contact and arguing Mbappé had gone to ground before the challenge in an attempt to win the penalty.
France’s Kylian Mbappe (10) is fouled by Morocco’s Noussair Mazraoui (3) during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between France and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
The award was followed by a lengthy VAR review that delayed the kick by more than three minutes before the decision was eventually upheld.Mbappé finally stepped up in the 27th minute with the opportunity to hand France the lead. After a hesitant run-up, he struck a tame low effort down the middle, allowing Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to stand his ground and make a comfortable save.The Real Madrid forward reacted with visible frustration as the chance slipped away, marking the first missed penalty of his World Cup career after previously converting all three of his in-game spot kicks on football’s biggest stage.His disappointment proved only temporary. Early in the second half, Mbappé cut inside from the left before unleashing a superb strike beyond Bounou to break the deadlock, helping France secure a 2-0 victory alongside Ousmane Dembélé’s later goal.
Only the second French player to miss a World Cup penalty
Mbappé’s miss placed him in an exceptionally exclusive group in French football history.Before Thursday’s quarter-final, France had missed only one in-game penalty across their entire World Cup history. That came during the 2014 tournament in Brazil when Karim Benzema failed to convert from the spot in the 34th minute of France’s 5-2 group-stage victory over Switzerland at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou (1) stops a penalty kick against France’s Kylian Mbappe (10) during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Like Mbappé, Benzema redeemed himself by scoring later in the match, finding the net in the 67th minute.France have now taken 18 in-game penalties in FIFA World Cup history, converting 16 and missing only twice—through Benzema in 2014 and Mbappé in 2026. Those 18 attempts place Les Bleus among the tournament’s most frequent penalty takers, behind Argentina’s 20 and level with Spain’s 18.
Perfect World Cup record finally ends
Until facing Morocco, Mbappé had been flawless from the penalty spot in World Cup matches.His first two successful conversions came during the unforgettable 2022 World Cup final against Argentina, where he scored from the spot in both the 80th and 118th minutes to complete his historic hat-trick. He also converted his penalty during the subsequent shootout, although shootout kicks are recorded separately from official match statistics.His third successful in-game World Cup penalty arrived earlier in this tournament, when he converted in the 70th minute of France’s 1-0 Round of 16 victory over Paraguay to send Les Bleus into the quarter-finals.The save by Bounou therefore ended a perfect run of three successful World Cup penalties and represented Mbappé’s first miss from the spot in the competition.
France’s Kylian Mbappe, left, celebrates with teammates after France defeated Morocco during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between France and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Across his senior career, Mbappé has now missed 15 of his 66 penalties. His most painful failure before Morocco came at UEFA Euro 2020, when Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer saved his decisive penalty in the Round of 16 shootout to eliminate France from the tournament.Against Morocco, however, the ending was very different. Although his perfect World Cup penalty record came to an end, Mbappé once again responded when it mattered most, scoring from open play to help France reach another World Cup semi-final and keep their pursuit of a third world title alive.
