Ester Exposito Skipped Every France World Cup Match for Work, Then Flew to Miami to Watch Kylian Mbappe Play for Third Place

She’s called football a total mystery and stayed thousands of miles away all tournament, working in LA while France kept winning. Then France dropped to the third-place game, and Ester Expósito — the Spanish actress romantically linked to French star Kylian Mbappé — showed up in Miami.

Expósito was photographed at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on July 18, 2026, watching France face England in the World Cup third-place match. It’s the first time she’s been at a France game this entire tournament.

At Miami Stadium on July 18, 2026, the 2026 World Cup third-place match between France and England drew actress Ester Exposito among its spectators. Photo by Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images.

Ester Exposito spotted at Miami Stadium on July 18, 2026, for the 2026 World Cup third-place match between France and England. Photo by Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images.

For the group stage through the semifinals, she was nowhere near the pitch. Reports and her own social posts placed her in Los Angeles, working on projects tied to her Amazon Prime series Drawn Together, which premieres September 9. She followed the results but kept quiet about which team she was backing.

The 26-year-old Spanish actress, who broke out as Carla in Netflix’s Élite, has said she knows “nothing about football” and guards her private life fiercely. Neither she nor Mbappé has ever confirmed they’re a couple.

Ester Exposito takes in the France vs. England third-place match at Miami Stadium on July 18, 2026. Photo by Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images.

That silence hasn’t stopped the sightings. They were first spotted together in Paris in early March, then photographed sharing a kiss in a car in Madrid in April. May brought a romantic trip to Cagliari, Sardinia, and a luxury stretch in Ibiza with yacht and jet-ski outings. When a reporter at a Real Madrid match asked her about Mbappé in March, she said only: “I’m not going to say anything, but I’m doing great.”

Kylian Mbappé wears number 10 for France during the World Cup 2026 semi-final against Spain at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on July 14, 2026. Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images.

Mbappé, 27, is just as private and has never publicly confirmed a girlfriend in his career. France finished the tournament in a game for third, and Expósito finally turned up to watch.

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