Rift In France Squad Ahead Of FIFA World Cup 2026? Kylian Mbappe, N’Golo Kante Refusing To Shake Hands Sparks Buzz: WATCH Viral Video
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The World Cup hasn’t even started yet and the drama’s already spilt over into the France national team. Reports of a widening divide between two of Les Bleus’ biggest icons, captain Kylian Mbappe and veteran midfield anchor N’Golo Kante. The clip that went viral just before France’s recent international friendly against Côte d’Ivoire sparked the social media frenzy, a match that ended in a remarkable 2-1 comeback victory for the African giants at the Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes.
The controversial moment came in the tunnel before the kickoff. The TV cameras showed the French substitutes walking to the dugout, shaking hands with the starting players one by one. A normally composed Kanté could be seen shaking hands with some of the squad in the video. But the atmosphere became distinctly frosty when he bumped into Mbappé. The midfielder seemingly ignored the Real Madrid superstar and Mbappé did not react either, choosing to look forward without making any contact.
But guys, what’s going on between Mbappé and Kanté, why are they avoiding each other like that??????
To succeed in alienating N’Golo you have to do it anyway pic.twitter.com/GxEPqzkDfR
— 𝔇𝔧𝔦𝔟𝔦𝔫𝔥𝔬 🇨🇷 (@DjibinhoPvris_) June 5, 2026
Of course, internet sleuths wasted no time in bringing the tunnel interaction back to a simmering backstory from earlier this spring. Fans have pointed to a controversial incident in a friendly against Colombia in March. In that game Mbappé came on as a late second half substitute. Rather than swapping the captain’s armband in person on the touchline, the forward is said to have ordered midfielder Rayan Cherki to run onto the pitch and take the armband straight off Kanté’s arm and bring it out to him.
Do you think it has something to do with this video of Mbappé asking Cherki to give him the armband worn by Kanté on his birthday? pic.twitter.com/VnsM0VtTpq
— 𝔇𝔧𝔦𝔟𝔦𝔫𝔥𝔬 🇨🇷 (@DjibinhoPvris_) June 5, 2026
Fans at the time blasted the exchange as incredibly disrespectful to a beloved, low-drama veteran like Kanté, seeing it as a sign of an unchecked ego in the dressing room. This latest cold shoulder in Nantes has convinced sections of the fanbase that the friction is very real as France prepares for its World Cup opener against Senegal in New York on June 16.
However, the mainstream French media has been quick to put out the flames. Notably, top TF1 journalist Sabre Desfarges completely shot down the rumours calling the alleged rift “nonsense” in its entirety. According to insiders, players often have long conversations behind closed doors and in the dressing room before the warm-ups, rendering a second handshake in front of the tunnel cameras completely unnecessary. The viral footage continues to divide opinions online but Didier Deschamps’ camp insists the squad remains fully united.
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