France at the 2026 World Cup: Roster, Prediction, and Statistics

The French National Team is the only team in the 21st century to have played in the final matches of two consecutive World Cups. Will Mbappe, Dembele, and the rest be able to aim for a third consecutive final?

Bookmakers name the French as one of the two main favorites for the World Cup trophy. Let's analyze the composition of the top team in the FIFA world ranking and offer a forecast for Didier Deschamps' team's performance in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

In brief:

• France is the only team in the 21st century to have played in two consecutive World Cup finals. Only Brazil and Germany have made it to the final in three consecutive tournaments in the history of football.
• The French squad includes Mbappe, Dembele, Olise, while Ekite, Camavinga, and Nkunku were left out.
• Bookmakers rate France's chances of winning the World Cup at 17%, and the chances of reaching the final at 29%.
• In the group stage of the World Cup, the French team will play against Senegal, Iraq, and Norway.

France's squad for the 2026 World Cup

Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (Milan), Brest Samba (Rennes), Robin Rissier (Lens).

Defenders: Lucas Digne (Everton), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Lucas Hernandez (PSG), Theo Hernandez (Al-Hilal), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich).

Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Fenerbahce), Claudio Kone (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (Milan), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG), Ryan Cherki (Manchester City).

Forwards: Manes Acliush (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (PSG), Ousmane Dembele (PSG), Desire Doue (PSG), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter).

Head coach: Didier Deschamps

Main Star

Despite a crumpled club season at Real Madrid, the main star of the French team, as in the last two World Cups, will be Kylian Mbappe. The forward needs to score two goals to become the top scorer of the national team (Mbappe currently has 56 goals). The same number is needed to become the top French sniper in the history of the World Cup (Mbappe currently has 12 goals). There is no doubt that Kylian will break both records in June.

Main Problem of France

Among the most problematic areas of the French team are the huge focus on the game and condition of Kylian Mbappe, and the lack of an elite "number nine" after the departure fromwith Olivier Giroud's team, an aging midfield with N'Golo Kante and Adrien Rabiot, as well as the risk of conflicts within the locker room.

Young Talent

The youngest member of the French squad at the World Cup will be 20-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery. The PSG midfielder, who can also play in defense, has been called up to the national team since 2023, but has not yet played in major tournaments. Zaire-Emery should potentially get playing time, considering his role as a versatile player in the Parisian club.

Who Will Miss the 2026 World Cup

Hugo Ekitike will miss the tournament due to injury, who under other circumstances would certainly have been the second or third choice in attack. Eduardo Camavinga, Christopher Nkunku and Luca Chevalier were left out of the squad. For the Real Madrid midfielder, the non-call from Deschamps became a personal tragedy. Rumor has it that the 23-year-old footballer intends to change clubs to get more playing practice.

Form of the France National Team

Qualification

France went through the World Cup qualifying stage without a single defeat, twice defeating Ukraine (4:0 and 2:0), Azerbaijan (3:0 and 3:1), and only dropped points in the return game with Iceland - at home, Deschamps' team was stronger than the islanders (2:1), and played a draw away (2:2). The average productivity in the qualification is 2.7 goals per game with only 0.7 conceded.

Recent Results

After the end of the qualification in the fall of 2026, the French national team played two friendly matches in the USA in March, defeating Brazil (2:1) and Colombia (3:1). The 2018 World Cup champions have not lost for nine consecutive matches (almost a year - since June 5 of last year).

Preparation for the World Cup

Before flying to the 2026 World Cup games, the French will play two control matches: in Nantes, Deschamps' team will play against Ivory Coast (June 4), in Lille - against Northern Ireland (June 8). The French have never lost to either the African or European teams, and have only conceded two goals in six games.

Schedule of France's Matches at the 2026 World Cup

France's chances of advancing from the group

Bookmakers are almost certain that the French team will advance to the World Cup playoffs, assuming that Deschamps' team will leave the group with a 98% probability, and that it will do so from the first place – 71%.

Bookmakers' odds for the French team at the 2026 World Cup

Why France May Not Win the World Cup

The issues we've discussed above could impact the performance of the French team if they accumulate. For instance, if a top competitor completely shuts down Kylian Mbappe, the only option left would be to play through Ousmane Dembele. Moreover, there have been questions about Mbappe's form throughout the season, although he has learned to handle pressure.

The pragmatic and careful football of Deschamps, which has been criticized by the expert community, could also influence the game. They argue that with attackers like Mbappe, Dembele, Due and Olise, the team should be playing as the main force without intentionally giving up the initiative. Without alternative scenarios in games against serious competitors, France risks ending up without a trophy.

Editorial Prediction

The French national team approaches the World Cup as one of the main favorites. However, the Scores24 editorial team would like to draw particular attention to two attractive trends: the victory of the French in the opening match of the tournament against Senegal and the total number of goals in this game.

France has started with a win in six major tournaments in a row (Euro and World Cup). The bookmakers offer odds of 1.45* for a win by "Les Bleus" on June 16. For three World Cups in a row (since 2014), France has started the tournament with high scoring games - each of the three matches saw at least three goals. An additional choice is over 2.5 total goals in the game against Senegal at 1.87*.

More predictions for all matches of the 2026 World Cup will be available in the tournament section from June 9.

If you are interested in detailed analyses of the top teams' chances at the 2026 World Cup, you can read the text about Brazil's chances.

*Odds are approximate, may vary among different bookmakers and are current at the time of publication