Stephen A. Smith is getting criticized for his soccer knowledge, or lack thereof, after mentioning whether this could finally be the year France “finally” wins the World Cup.
It is worth noting that France has won the World Cup twice in history, including most recently in 2018.
Stephen A. Smith Criticized by Sports World After Weighing In on France’s World Cup Chances
Smith is never shy about sharing his opinion on topics in the sporting realm, and he broke down France’s chances of winning the World Cup this year on Wednesday’s edition of ESPN’s “First Take.”
As the ESPN analyst claimed that this could finally be the year France wins the World Cup, social media was quick to remind him of the nation’s success at the tournament.
“For me, it’s about Kylian Mbappe for France. He scored two goals yesterday. He scored a hat-trick in the finals loss against Argentina in 2022. I’m thinking about France because of Victor Wembanyama and how he just went home in the NBA Finals. I’m wondering what France is going to do. Can this be the year that they finally get it done and win the World Cup, considering Mbappe and what we saw him do yesterday and what we know he’s capable of doing because he’s done it before,” Smith said.
A sports podcast account led the criticism of Smith following his comments on Kylian Mbappe and France.
“How much does this fool get paid? Has an entire team. But yeah, YouTubers are the problem. What an idiot,” they wrote on X.
How much does this fool get paid? Has an entire team. But yeah, You Tubers are the problem. What an idiot. https://t.co/EIQ3mkFhjG
— CDS Sports Podcast (@cdssportspod) June 17, 2026
NBA journalist Justin Russo also hit out at Smith’s inaccurate commentary.
“Leave the analysis, before the analysis leaves you,” he wrote.
Leave the analysis, before the analysis leaves you. https://t.co/A67qX2xpk3
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) June 17, 2026
NBA writer Tomer Azarly also weighed in, lamenting how soccer fans have to listen to Smith’s analysis now that the NBA Finals are in the books.
“The NBA Finals ended too early, now we have to deal with this,” he wrote.
The NBA Finals ended too early, now we have to deal with this 💔 https://t.co/E2wBKSlRzN
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) June 17, 2026
Another user joined in on the criticism of Smith.
“Just embarrassing” they wrote.
France won the World Cup for the first time on home soil in 1998. They defeated Croatia in the 2018 World Cup final and lost to Argentina on penalties four years later in Qatar, despite a hat-trick from Mbappe.
Les Blues began their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal, with Mbappe scoring a brace and Bradley Barcola also finding the back of the net.
Next up for France at the FIFA World Cup is a group-stage match against Iraq on Monday (kick-off at 5 p.m. ET).
