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Kylian Mbappe has expressed his desire to face Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The French national team striker, Kylian Mbappe, revealed which players he most wishes to play against at the 2026 World Cup.

Since making his World Cup debut in 2018, the Real Madrid forward has already faced numerous top players on the global stage.

Mbappe has previously come up against stars such as Lionel Messi, Eden Hazard, Luka Modric, Luis Suarez, Harry Kane, and Robert Lewandowski while representing France.

Despite encountering many of football’s biggest names, Mbappe has often managed to outperform them individually on the world stage.

In the 2018 edition, for instance, he scored twice against Messi’s Argentina in the Round of 16 and added another goal against Modric’s Croatia in the final.

Then, in 2022, the former Paris Saint-Germain forward netted a hat-trick against Messi-led Argentina in the final, though France ultimately fell short of winning the title.

After proving himself against several global superstars, Mbappe remains eager to test himself against other football icons on the biggest stage.

For the 2026 World Cup, Mbappe specifically mentioned that he would like to face either Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar.

The question then arises: what motivates the French captain to seek a showdown with one of these two legends?

Mbappe explained that his wish stems from the fact that both Ronaldo and Neymar are likely to play in their final World Cup in 2026.

“I’ve already faced many great players at the World Cup. Maybe Cristiano,” Mbappe said during a Q&A session on Sorare’s YouTube channel.

“Because I think this (2026 World Cup) will be his last one—and Neymar’s too.”

“I’d like to face one of the two because they probably won’t play in another World Cup,” he added.

Mbappe’s wish could only come true in the knockout stage, since France, Portugal, and Brazil are drawn into different groups.

For an earlier meeting with Ronaldo or Neymar, a specific set of results would need to occur.

One possible scenario would see France advance as the winner of Group I, while Brazil and Portugal finish as runners-up in Groups C and K respectively.

This arrangement would place all three teams on the same side of the knockout bracket, potentially leading to a quarter-final or semi-final clash between Mbappe and either Neymar or Ronaldo.

However, if Brazil and Portugal top their groups, Mbappe could only face them in the final or the third-place playoff.

Brazil and Portugal are both in relatively manageable groups and are expected to progress as group winners. Brazil are in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland, while Portugal are in Group K with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia.

France, on the other hand, find themselves in a challenging Group I alongside Senegal, Norway, and Iraq.

Despite the tough draw, Les Bleus are widely tipped to advance comfortably to the knockout rounds, given their record of reaching the finals in both 2018 and 2022.