Explained: Why Mbappe's penalty was delayed by more than three minutes against Morocco
France's Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty against Morocco in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals after a three-minute delay caused by a VAR review. Despite the miss, France secured a 2-0 victory to advance to the semifinals.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the ongoing debate regarding the impact of VAR delays on player rhythm and match flow in high-stakes sports.
Kylian Mbappe was made to wait more than three minutes before taking his first-half penalty against Morocco in France's FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal at Boston Stadium in Foxborough.Mbappe won the penalty after Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui challenged him inside the box. Referee Facundo Tello immediately pointed to the spot, but the kick was delayed while the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) reviewed the incident.Why was the penalty delayed?The VAR team checked whether Mbappe had gone down before contact from Mazraoui.
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