Kylian Mbappe Becomes Second French Player to Miss a Penalty in FIFA World Cup History

The Les Bleus superstar missed from the spot for the first time in his career during France's quarterfinal clash against Morocco at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Boston Stadium, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, witnessed Kylian Mbappe's missed penalty on Thursday during France's quarterfinal clash against Morocco at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It was only the second missed penalty by a French player in World Cup history.

THE INCIDENT

In the 24th minute, Argentine referee Franco Tello awarded a controversial penalty in favor of Les Bleus.

After attempting a stepover on the right side of Morocco's penalty area, Mbappe went down following a sliding challenge from defender Noussair Mazraoui.

The decision immediately sparked debate, with critics questioning whether the contact was enough to warrant a penalty. Moroccan players argued that Mazraoui did not make contact and that Mbappé had gone down before the challenge in an attempt to win the call.

With the chance to open the scoring, Mbappe appeared overconfident and struck a weak penalty despite his hesitation in the run-up. Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, known as "Bono," read the attempt perfectly and saved it in the 28th minute, stopping a low shot that went straight down the middle.

The Real Madrid forward could only react with frustration, letting out his anger after missing the opportunity to put France ahead.

JOINS KARIM BENZEMA IN WORLD CUP HISTORY

"Donatello" became the first French player to miss a penalty in regulation time at a World Cup since Karim Benzema failed from the spot at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

Benzema's miss came in the 34th minute of France's 5-2 win over Switzerland at the Fonte Nova Arena in Salvador, Bahia.

However, despite the missed penalty, Benzema still found the back of the net in that match, scoring in the 67th minute. Mbappe followed a similar path, as he later scored France's opening goal in the 60th minute against Morocco.

France have taken 18 penalties in World Cup history, converting 16 of them. The only misses have come from Benzema and Mbappe.

The French national team ranks third all-time in World Cup penalty attempts, behind Argentina (20) and Spain (18).

MBAPPE'S PENALTY RECORD

The miss marked Mbappe's first failed penalty attempt in four World Cup spot kicks.

His first two came in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina, where he successfully converted both attempts against Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez.

His third came in the Round of 16, another successful penalty that helped France advance to the quarterfinals against Paraguay.

Overall, the French superstar has missed 15 of his 66 career penalties, ranking third among French national team players in total attempts.

However, his most painful miss came in the penalty shootout during the Round of 16 at UEFA Euro 2020, when his decisive spot kick was saved by Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer, eliminating France from the tournament.