Ukraine’s National Football Team Suffers Opening Loss to France in 2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Challenges and Initial Insights
In the qualification matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Ukraine’s national football team experienced a tough defeat in their opening game.
On Friday, September 5, in Wroclaw, Poland, Ukraine hosted the French national team in the first round of the qualifiers.
Despite various obstacles, our players tried to contend with the formidable opponent, but under pressure and compounded by injuries, the outcome turned unfavorably for us.
Head coach Andriy Rebrov faced the absence of several key players due to injuries — including Lunin, Mykolenko, Tsygankov, and Yaremchuk, who were not listed for the match.
Meanwhile, France’s coach Didier Deschamps also dealt with the absence of star players due to injuries: Saliba was out of the squad, and Dembélé started on the bench but was substituted in after halftime only to sustain another injury, complicating his participation.
The French team quickly took the lead in the tenth minute when Olieśa scored from twelve meters with a calm finish into the far corner, beating goalkeeper Trubin.
France felt confident on the pitch, frequently creating threats to Ukrainian goal and controlling the gameplay pace.
Ukraine struggled to transition from defense to attack under pressure, with central forward Dovbyk unable to compete physically against Uwamekano and Konate.
After halftime, Ukraine became more active, improving ball control, utilizing the flanks, and creating scoring opportunities.
Notable moments included a header by Dovbyk that was cleared off the line by Konate and a close-in shot by Zabarny that hit the post.
However, the game’s decisive moment came from France’s star attacker Kylian Mbappé, who easily outmaneuvered Zabarny and scored, sealing the victory for his team.
The match ended with a 2-0 score, with Olieśa scoring at ten minutes and Mbappé adding the second at 82 minutes.
Ukraine’s next qualifier will be played against Azerbaijan in Baku on September 9.
In this group, Iceland also participates.
The team that finishes first in Group D will secure a direct qualification to the World Cup, while the second-place team will have to fight for a spot through the playoff.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 across the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Notably, ahead of the match, Mbappé named the best player of the Ukrainian team, coach Rebrov.
Additionally, Ukrainian fans received surprising news about the country’s national team — for the first time in history, the team has an official team bus.