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France

FRA · UEFA

FIFA Ranking #1Group IUEFA

Head Coach

Didier Deschamps

Didier Deschamps leads France into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, tasked with guiding the squad through a competitive Group I and beyond. The coaching staff has been preparing tactical approaches tailored to the expanded 48-team tournament format.

Group Stage Venue

Dallas

France will play their group stage matches in Dallas. The 2026 World Cup is the first to be hosted across three nations — the United States, Mexico, and Canada — with matches spread across 16 world-class venues.

Squad (26 players)

Goalkeepers

Mike Maignan
Milan · Age 30 · 38 caps
Brice Samba
Rennes · Age 32 · 4 caps
Robin Risser
Lens · Age 21 · 0 caps

Defenders

Lucas Digne
Aston Villa · Age 32 · 56 caps
Jules Koundé
Barcelona · Age 27 · 46 caps
Théo Hernandez
Al-Hilal · Age 28 · 42 caps
Lucas Hernandez
Paris Saint-Germain · Age 30 · 41 caps
Dayot Upamecano
Bayern Munich · Age 27 · 36 caps
William Saliba
Arsenal · Age 25 · 31 caps
Ibrahima Konaté
Liverpool · Age 27 · 27 caps
Malo Gusto
Chelsea · Age 23 · 9 caps
Maxence Lacroix
Crystal Palace · Age 26 · 2 caps

Midfielders

N'Golo Kanté
Fenerbahçe · Age 35 · 67 caps
Adrien Rabiot
Milan · Age 31 · 57 caps
Aurélien Tchouaméni
Real Madrid · Age 26 · 44 caps
Manu Koné
Roma · Age 25 · 12 caps
Warren Zaïre-Emery
Paris Saint-Germain · Age 20 · 10 caps

Forwards

Kylian MbappéC
Real Madrid · Age 27 · 96 caps
Ousmane Dembélé
Paris Saint-Germain · Age 29 · 58 caps
Marcus Thuram
Inter Milan · Age 28 · 33 caps
Bradley Barcola
Paris Saint-Germain · Age 23 · 18 caps
Michael Olise
Bayern Munich · Age 24 · 15 caps
Maghnes Akliouche
Monaco · Age 24 · 7 caps
Désiré Doué
Paris Saint-Germain · Age 21 · 6 caps
Rayan Cherki
Manchester City · Age 22 · 5 caps
Jean-Philippe Mateta
Crystal Palace · Age 28 · 3 caps

Recent Form & Current State

France qualified comfortably through UEFA qualification under long-serving manager Didier Deschamps. They reached the Euro 2024 semifinals and remain one of the favorites for 2026. Kylian Mbappé continues to be their talisman at Real Madrid.

Form heading into a major tournament is often a key indicator of how far a team can progress. France, currently ranked #1 in the FIFA World Rankings, will look to carry momentum from their recent qualifying and friendly campaigns into the group stage. Consistency in results and squad cohesion built during the qualification cycle will be vital assets. The UEFArepresentatives will be eager to demonstrate their quality on the world's biggest stage in 2026.

World Cup History

France are two-time World Cup champions (1998, 2018) and were runners-up in 2022 and 2006. They have appeared in 16 World Cups. In 2022, Mbappé scored a hat-trick in the final but they lost on penalties to Argentina.

The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of international football, and France's history in the competition provides important context for their 2026 campaign. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams for the first time, every nation faces both new opportunities and new challenges in the revamped group stage format featuring groups of four with the top two advancing to a 32-team knockout round. France will aim to write a new chapter in their World Cup story at this historic edition of the tournament.

Group I Opponents

France faces Senegal and Norway and Iraq in Group I. The top two teams from each group advance to the Round of 32. Group dynamics, head-to-head records, and tactical matchups will all play a role in determining which teams progress from this stage.