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In March, France named their last international squad before putting together the final 26-man squad that will travel across the Atlantic this summer.
Didier Deschamps, one of only three men to win the World Cup as a player and a manager, has already confirmed that World Cup 2026 will be his last tournament in charge of Les Bleus, so this is his final chance to add a second title.
Of that squad that tasted victory in 2018 in Russia, only the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Ngolo Kante remain in contention but, somehow, their squad still looks stronger than most on paper – it's little wonder they enter as one of the favourites yet again.
Goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier was one of the most talked-up names last summer after his move to Paris Saint-Germain shunted Gianliugi Donnarumma to Manchester City, but he has since lost his place to Russian shot-stopper Matvey Safonov, so looks certain to take a place on the bench behind Mike Maignan for France this summer.
Hugo Ekitike, Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Desire Doue are just some of the names recently added to the squad. They'll all be eyeing up a first World Cup appearance.
William Saliba was forced to withdraw from the March squad with injury, but he is likely to battle with Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate for the two defensive spots, with the small matter of Ballon d'Or winner Dembele and 2023's third-place finisher Mbappe to pick from further forward.
Deschamps' side played Brazil and Colombia in two high-profile friendlies in March in the United States so it's clear they're taking their preparations seriously. France won both matches convincingly.
Squad
France World Cup 2026 squad: The March selection
- GK: Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
- GK: Brice Samba (Rennes)
- GK: Lucas Chevalier (Paris Saint-Germain)
- DF: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa)
- DF: Theo Hernandez (Al-Hilal)
- DF: Lucas Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain)
- DF: Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
- DF: Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool)
- DF: Malo Gusto (Chelsea)
- DF: Pierre Kalulu (Juventus)
- DF: Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace)
- MF: N'Golo Kante (Fenerbahce)
- MF: Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan)
- MF: Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid)
- MF: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid)
- MF: Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
- FW: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
- FW: Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain)
- FW: Randal Kolo Muani (Tottenham Hotspur)
- FW: Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan)
- FW: Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
- FW: Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool)
- FW: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco)
- FW: Rayan Cherki (Manchester City)
- FW: Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain)
Fixtures
- June 4, 2026: France vs Ivory Coast, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France
- June 16, 2026: France vs Senegal, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
- June 26, 2026: Norway vs France, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
- September 25, 2026: Turkey vs France, Turkey
- September 28, 2026: Belgium vs France, Brussels, Belgium
- October 2, 2026: France vs Italy, Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
- October 5, 2026: France vs Belgium, Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
- November 12, 2026: Italy vs France, Italy
- November 15, 2026: France vs Turkey, Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
Recent Results
- March 29, 2026: Colombia 1-3 France, Northwest Stadium, Landover, United States
- March 26, 2026: Brazil 1-2 France, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States
- November 16, 2025: Azerbaijan 1-3 France, Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
- November 13, 2025: France 4-0 Ukraine, Parc des Princes, Paris, France
- October 13th: Iceland 2-2 France, Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik, Iceland
- October 10th: France 3-0 Azerbaijan, Parc des Princes, Paris, France
- September 9: France 2-1 Iceland, Parc des Princes, Paris, France
- September 5: Ukraine 0-2 France, Tarczynski Arena Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
- June 8: Germany 0-2 France, MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany
- June 5: Spain 5-4 France, MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany
- March 23: France 2-0 Croatia (5-4 pens), Stade de France, Paris, France
- March 20: Croatia 2-0 France, Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia
Manager
Who is France's manager?
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?
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
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