France squad World Cup 2026: Didier Deschamps' team look to go one better than four years ago (original) (raw)

France's players pose for a team photograph before the international friendly football match between France and Ivory Coast

The French starting XI pose before their warm up friendly vs Ivory Coast (Image credit: Getty Images)

Didier Deschamps' France World Cup 2026 team concluded their warm-up fixtures with a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland, having opted to play their friendlies in Europe rather than North America.

World Cup 2026 will be the final tournament for the iconic Deschamps, who is still only one of three men to have won the Coupe de Monde as a player and a manager – and Les Bleus enter as one of the favourites yet again, with a squad that still looks stronger than most on paper.

Real Madrid's boy-king Kylian Mbappe captains the side in his third tournament, and he'll be looking to break the all-time scoring record for his country, and even potentially the all-time scoring record in the competition itself.

Mbappe will be flanked by superstar talent, as Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki and Marcus Thuram all compete for starting berths in attack, ahead of Warren Zaire-Emery and N'Golo Kante, who have an age difference of 15 years.

There are seriously high-profile misses this time, however: Eduardo Camavinga of Real Madrid has been omitted altogether, despite his ability to play in both midfield and left-back, after a poor season at Los Blancos.

Randal Kolo Muani misses out on his chance to avenge demons of four years ago, Lucas Chevalier's absence shows just how poorly his move to Paris Saint-Germain has panned out, and Hugo Ekitike has a long-term Achilles injury.

It's a side with a blend of experience and youth looking to bring Nombre Trois back to Paris.

The Mood

France's players react during a training session at the French Football Federation's (FFF) training ground in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, southwest of Paris on June 6, 2026

France opted to do the majority of their preparation at their Clairefontaine training centre in France, rather than prepare in North America (Image credit: Getty Images)

If talent alone were enough to win a World Cup, hand France the trophy now. Les Bleus have frequently beguiled at these quadrennial jamborees – think Raymond Kopa in the 1950s, prime Michel Platini in the 1980s, Zinedine Zidane’s dancing feet in 1998 and 2006 – but the sheer number of brilliant attackers boarding the plane across the Atlantic is unique.

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In the VIP section sits captain and, unofficially the world’s best player Kylian Mbappe. Next to him in the aisle seat is close friend and Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele. In business class, you will find Europe’s best player under 21, 2025 Golden Boy award winner Desire Doue, alongside 24-year-old Michael Olise – 15 goals and 27 assists in all competitions for Bayern Munich by mid-March – and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki, 23. All three take part in a first major tournament.

It says everything that France legend Antoine Griezmann’s international retirement last year passed off with little comment. Far from lacking a successor at No.10 for the man of many hairstyles, France have too many.

One might argue Didier Deschamps is the worst possible manager to oversee a squad like this. Heavily influenced by his peak playing years at Juventus, Deschamps takes a ‘results first, everything else second’ approach to the job.

As an arch-pragmatist, however, Deschamps also understands the value of maximising strengths. He may be a little too pleased with goalless draws at times, but he also grants his players greater attacking licence than many give him credit for.

France scored four times in both the last 16 and the final when they won the 2018 World Cup. They netted two or more in all four of their knockout games as they finished runners-up in Qatar four years ago. Goal tallies may not always reflect methodology, but they rarely occur as frequently as they have under Deschamps entirely by accident.

France, as ever, are potential winners. If Les Bleus’ most gifted players express their artistic talents, the return flight will be with a 36.8cm-high, 6.175kg block of gold for the second time in three tournaments. And it will be a victory for neutrals everywhere.

Squad

France World Cup 2026 squad

Fixtures and results

Fixtures

Results

Group I standings

France are in Group I at World Cup 2026.

Manager

Who is France's manager?

France manager Didier Deschamps holds the World Cup, 2018

France manager Didier Deschamps holds the World Cup, 2018 (Image credit: Alamy)

Didier Deschamps has been in charge of France for 13 years, and his tenure will not continue beyond the 2026 World Cup, after he confirmed he would not extend his contract when it finishes.

He has enjoyed a successful stint at the helm, winning the 2018 World Cup, before reaching the final of the 2022 edition, and narrowly missing out on back-to-back wins on penalties to Argentina.

His squad selection has been fairly consistent, allowing him to build effective relationships that have helped them when it comes to major tournaments.

Star player

Who is France's star player?

France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe reacts during a training session at the national team training grounds in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, southwest of Paris, on June 1, 2026, as part of their preparation for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup football tournament. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

Kylian Mbappe for France (Image credit: Getty Images)

It speaks to Kylian Mbappe's superhuman powers that it felt like his tally of 43 goals last season was about on par with the impact he was expected to have, yet he's already on course to smash through that record this term despite upheaval in Los Blancos' dugout.

Mbappe ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo's list of the best strikers in the world right now, and he will be expected to carry on his unbelievable form for his country. He is the second outright top scorer for the French national team, just one goal behind Olivier Giroud.

His World Cup record is also outstanding. In just two tournaments, he has reached the final both times, scoring 12 goals, placing him joint-sixth on the all-time scoring charts. He also became only the second player, after Geoff Hurst, to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

Best XI

James Eastham has covered French football for more than two decades. He has written about the game in France for leading publications around the world, and interviewed some of the key figures in the French game, including Kylian Mbappe, Didier Deschamps, and 1998 World Cup-winning manager Aime Jacquet. He has also worked as a recruitment consultant for several clubs in England. In this role, he has attended hundreds of games across France, scouting players at all levels, from the amateur leagues to the national team.