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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Sport
Asharq Al-Awsat

South America Aims to Break Europe’s World Cup Grip

World Cup South America Europe Kylian Mbappé Brazil Iván Zamorano Argentina Lionel Messi Luiz Felipe Scolari Tite
FILE - 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)

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.

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