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Didier Deschamp’s’ France World Cup 2026 squad has been announced, with the legendary coach looking to sign off in style.
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.
Squad
France World Cup 2026 squad: The March selection
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GK: Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
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GK: Brice Samba (Rennes)
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GK: Lucas Chevalier (Paris Saint-Germain)
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DF: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa)
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DF: Theo Hernandez (Al-Hilal)
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DF: Lucas Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain)
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DF: Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
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DF: Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool)
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DF: Malo Gusto (Chelsea)
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DF: Pierre Kalulu (Juventus)
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DF: Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace)
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MF: N’Golo Kante (Fenerbahce)
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MF: Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan)
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MF: Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid)
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MF: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid)
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MF: Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
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FW: Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid)
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FW: Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain)
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FW: Randal Kolo Muani (Tottenham Hotspur)
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FW: Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan)
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FW: Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
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FW: Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool)
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FW: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco)
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FW: Rayan Cherki (Manchester City)
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FW: Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain)
Fixtures and results
Fixtures
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June 4, 2026: France vs Ivory Coast, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France
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June 16, 2026: France vs Senegal, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States
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June 26, 2026: Norway vs France, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
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September 25, 2026: Turkey vs France, Turkey
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September 28, 2026: Belgium vs France, Brussels, Belgium
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October 2, 2026: France vs Italy, Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
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October 5, 2026: France vs Belgium, Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
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November 12, 2026: Italy vs France, Italy
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November 15, 2026: France vs Turkey, Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
Results
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March 29, 2026: Colombia 1-3 France, Northwest Stadium, Landover, United States
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March 26, 2026: Brazil 1-2 France, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States
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November 16, 2025: Azerbaijan 1-3 France, Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
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November 13, 2025: France 4-0 Ukraine, Parc des Princes, Paris, France
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October 13th: Iceland 2-2 France, Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik, Iceland
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October 10th: France 3-0 Azerbaijan, Parc des Princes, Paris, France
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September 9: France 2-1 Iceland, Parc des Princes, Paris, France
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September 5: Ukraine 0-2 France, Tarczynski Arena Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
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June 8: Germany 0-2 France, MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany
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June 5: Spain 5-4 France, MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany
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March 23: France 2-0 Croatia (5-4 pens), Stade de France, Paris, France
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March 20: Croatia 2-0 France, Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia
Manager
Who is France’s manager?
France manager Didier Deschamps holds the World Cup, 2018 | 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?
Kylian Mbappe for France | 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.
