Zinedine Zidane has waited years for his first match as France manager. Kylian Mbappé has spent considerably less time waiting for his first training session under him, but so far it has not happened.
The France captain missed Tuesday’s full session at Clairefontaine after developing flu-like symptoms, leaving him indoors while the other 22 players in Zidane’s squad trained in front of supporters. With France due to begin their Nations League campaign away to Türkiye on Friday, September 25, the timing inevitably raised the question of whether Zidane could be without his captain for the first match of his long-awaited tenure.
For now, there is little indication that France are preparing to play without Mbappé. The 27-year-old has not withdrawn from the squad, no replacement has been called up and reports in France suggest he is expected to recover in time for Friday. His condition will continue to be monitored, but what initially looked like an awkward first problem for Zidane appears more likely to be a short interruption than a serious selection crisis.
Why did Mbappé miss France training?
Mbappé is suffering from what has been described in France as a flu-like syndrome. He remained inside the team’s accommodation at Clairefontaine on Tuesday and did not take part in Zidane’s second session as national team coach.
The absence came after Mbappé had already been restricted to indoor recovery work when the squad gathered on Monday. That first day was not particularly unusual given that several players had only recently completed their club fixtures, but Tuesday was supposed to be Zidane’s first proper opportunity to work with almost his entire squad on the pitch.
Instead, 22 players trained and Mbappé stayed inside. There has been no suggestion of a muscular problem or an injury sustained while playing for Real Madrid, which is significant when assessing his chances of facing Türkiye. The issue is illness rather than an injury requiring a defined rehabilitation period.
France have also given no indication that Mbappé could leave the camp. Unless his condition deteriorates, the expectation is that he will remain with the squad as preparations continue for Friday night.
Will Mbappé play against Türkiye?
As things stand, Mbappé has not been ruled out of the match and is expected to have a realistic chance of playing.
L’Équipe reported after Tuesday’s session that the France captain should, in principle, recover in time to face Türkiye. That makes the next training sessions more important than the one he has already missed. If Mbappé returns to normal work before France travel to Kocaeli, there would be little reason to assume that he cannot start.
There is still an obvious element of uncertainty. Flu-like illnesses can develop quickly and Zidane has four Nations League matches to manage in only 11 days, so France have no need to take an unnecessary risk with their captain in the opening game.
France’s schedule is demanding:
- September 25: Türkiye vs France
- September 28: Belgium vs France
- October 2: France vs Italy
- October 5: France vs Belgium
Even if Mbappé is available on Friday, his workload could therefore be managed across the international window rather than judged solely on whether he starts the first game.
Zidane already appears to know where he wants Mbappé
Perhaps the most interesting part of Tuesday’s training session was what happened without Mbappé.
Zidane began working on a 4-3-3 structure with three midfielders, offering the first meaningful indication of how his France team could be organised. The expectation is that Mbappé will operate from the left side of the front three rather than as the central striker, with Ousmane Dembélé capable of playing through the middle.
That would be a significant early tactical decision. Mbappé has played centrally for both club and country at various stages of his career, but starting from the left gives him more freedom to attack space, move inside onto his stronger foot and become involved without spending the entire match against opposing centre-backs.
It also gives Zidane a way of accommodating several of France’s most dangerous attacking players without asking Mbappé to perform as a conventional No.9. Dembélé’s movement through the centre can create space for Mbappé to attack from the left, while France have several options for the opposite flank.
So while Mbappé has not yet taken part in a full session under the new coach, there are already signs of the role Zidane has in mind for him.
Mbappé remains at the centre of Zidane’s France
There was never much doubt about Mbappé’s wider status after the coaching change. When Zidane announced his first France squad, he confirmed that the Real Madrid forward would remain captain, preserving one of the most important decisions made during Didier Deschamps’ final years in charge.
Mbappé enters the new era with 66 goals for France, already the country’s all-time leading scorer, and at 27 he could spend the peak years of his career playing under one of the defining French footballers of the previous generation.
That relationship is one of the reasons Zidane’s first France match carries more intrigue than an ordinary Nations League opener. As FootyRoom explained in our guide to Zidane’s first game as France manager, the trip to Türkiye is the beginning of a new cycle that is ultimately supposed to lead France towards Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup.
Mbappé will be the central figure in that project. The question is not whether Zidane intends to build around him, but how he intends to do it.
A strange start to a partnership France have waited years to see
There is a certain irony to Mbappé missing the first real training session of the Zidane era.
Zidane has been associated with the France job for years, while Mbappé has long been the player around whom the national team’s future was expected to revolve. Their eventual partnership always seemed inevitable. When it finally arrived at Clairefontaine, the captain spent the first major tactical session indoors recovering from illness.
It should not be overstated. There is currently no indication of a serious health problem, and France have not announced that Mbappé will miss Friday’s match. But his absence has temporarily delayed one of the most interesting questions surrounding the new national team: exactly what does a Zidane team built around Mbappé look like?
Tuesday offered part of the answer even without him on the pitch. A 4-3-3, Mbappé attacking from the left and Dembélé operating centrally appears to be one of the ideas being explored.
The rest should become clearer quickly. France have four matches before October 6 and another two in November, giving Zidane very little time for experimentation before competitive results begin to matter.
When will we know if Mbappé is fit?
The clearest indication will come from France’s remaining training sessions before the squad travels to Türkiye.
A return to full group training would substantially reduce any concern over his availability. If Mbappé continues to train separately or remains indoors, however, Zidane will have to decide whether using him in Kocaeli is worthwhile with Belgium waiting only three days later.
For now, Mbappé remains part of the France squad and has not been ruled out of the Nations League opener. The early expectation in France is that the illness will not prevent him from playing on Friday.
Zidane’s first team sheet as France manager will provide the definitive answer — and perhaps the first proper look at how he intends to use the most important player of his new era.
Published by Patrick Jane
23.09.2026