South America Aims to Break Europe's World Cup Grip

Brazil's Neymar reacts following a missed scoring opportunity during the quarterfinal match between Brazil and Belgium at the 2018 soccer World Cup in the Kazan Arena, in Kazan, Russia, Friday, July 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Andre Penner, File)

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By Associated Press

November 9, 2022 at 11:40 AM UTC

(AP) -- Kylian Mbappé riled up South Americans back in May when he said both Argentina and Brazil don’t play matches “at a high level” in qualifying to reach the World Cup.

Interviewed by Brazilian television, the France striker said South America lags behind Europe in terms of the strength of competition. He noted that the most recent World Cup champions — including his own country in 2018 — have been teams from Europe.