Updated: 21 May 2026 16:55 BST |
5 min read
The 2026 World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer and France head into the tournament as one of the favourites to lift the famous golden trophy.
Les Bleus have won two World Cups in their history, coming in 1998 on home soil and then in Russia in 2018, and there are a fair few players from that squad from eight years ago who are still pulling on the blue shirt as we head into the 2026 edition in North America.
Didier Deschamps, who has won the tournament both as a player and a head coach, will leave his post at the end of the summer, so is eager to go out as only the second national team manager in history to win two World Cups after Vittorio Pozzo achieved the feat back-to-back with Italy in 1934 and 1938.
He announced his squad a week ago and, although all the expected stars like Kylian Mbappe and Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele are included, there are a few notable omissions such as Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and Esteban Lepaul, who is the top scorer in Ligue 1 this campaign.
๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฬ๐๐ ๐ฬ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐ท๐
Voici nos 26 Bleus qui reprรฉsenteront la France ร la ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ! ๐ฅ#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/CqKUzJpSK0
โ Equipe de France โญโญ (@equipedefrance) May 14, 2026
The Stade Rennais forward has 21 goals to his name in 2025/26, outscoring the likes of Mason Greenwood, Joaquรญn Panichelli and Folarin Balogun. PSG’s top league scorer for the season, Bradley Barcola (11), has been included in Deschamps’s squad.
โThere are expectations and demands, of course,” said Deschamps to TFI after his squad was confirmed.
“Thatโs also our fault, because if we are where we are today, itโs because weโve won a lot of matches โ more than our opponents. That we are among the favourites is only natural, but there are other teams too. I could name six or seven. This is a World Cup, the biggest competition of them all. The very best teams are there.โ
There is one major absentee and that is Hugo Ekitike, who agonisingly ruptured his Achilles tendon during Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final tie against PSG. France certainly aren’t lacking in firepower, but it was a real blow for the player himself to miss out on the World Cup.
In addition to the likes of Mbappe and Dembele, France have other superstars like Desire Doue and one of the best players in Europe this season, Michael Olise, who is coming off a sensational campaign wih Bayern Munich.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, Marcus Thuram, Barcola and Rayan Cherki are among the players Deschamps will call on from the bench.
France have been drawn in a group alongside Senegal, Iraq and Norway and their first fixture is against Senegal in the New York New Jersey Stadium on 16 June.
Here’s how Deschamps may line up his team:
(4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Theo; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Doue; Mbappe
Mike Maignan is a definite starter in goal but Robin Risser, recently voted Ligue 1โs Best goalkeeper, will provide strong backup alongside Brice Samba.
In defence, Jules Kounde and William Saliba will start but Deschamps has some decisions to make at centre-back and left-back. In the middle, he must choose between Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano to partner Saliba, while Theo Hernandez and Lucas Digne are the options on the flank.
The central midfield duo of Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot picks itself but veteran N’Golo Kante is still around and will be given some minutes.
Deschamps has an embarrassment of riches in attack but Mbappe, Olise, Doue and Dembele are the in-form players that will likely be selected as a front four. They are interchangeable, too, so expect Olise to drift to the right and also come inside, with Dembele and Doue swapping roles like they do for PSG.
There’s huge pressure on the shoulders of Mbappe, who will be looking to put a negative club season with Real Madrid behind him to once again make a major mark on the World Cup.
In all competitions for Los Blancos this campaign, he has scored 41 goals in 43 games and with LEGOยฉ you can get your very own World Cup souvenir – a depiction of Mbappe firing in an explosive goal with his iconic number 10 in the background.
The FIFA World Cup 2026โข is set to be the biggest tournament in the competitionโs history, and LEGOยฉ is tapping into football fever with a new range designed for supporters, collectors and younger fans alike.
