France is hungry to defend the title they won in Russia four years ago at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Their star-studded side will be confident of another good run in the tournament but must be wary of the current trend which has seen past winners fail to progress from their group. And their luck was not kind with injuries in the lead-up to the tournament.
After winning the World Cup in 2018, France also won the UEFA Nations League in 2021 but was knocked out in the round of 16 at the delayed Euros.
Didier Deschamps’ side will go into the 2022 World Cup having won just one of their last six games and will rely on their players to step up when it matters most in Qatar.
More:
France vs Denmark Final Scores, Highlights, 2022 Group D Match Results
France’s final 26-man World Cup squad
Manager Deschamps had until Friday, October 21 to submit an official preliminary list of 35–55 players to FIFA from which he selected his final roster by Monday, November 14, allowing 26 players on the final list for Qatar.
Notably, Paul Pogba is absent from this list, as he is out of action with a new thigh injury while rehabilitating his previous knee injury. Pogba’s agent, Rafaela Pimenta, confirmed in a statement to the media on October 31 that he would not be fit for the FIFA tournament.
N’Golo Kante was also ruled out of the tournament due to injury, while defender Raphael Varane was included in the run-up to the tournament despite injury. Goalkeeper Mike Mignon has been ruled out, as has Baubach Kamara amid an injury struggle, while Real Madrid full-back Ferland Mendy has also been ruled out.
Finally, there were late reports that Eduardo Camavinga could be let go, but that did not prove to be the case.
Deschamps initially announced a 25-man roster but hinted he could make late additions to the group. On November 14, Marcus Thuram was added as a late call-up. Another change to the squad was announced later the same day, with Presnel Kimpembe, who had not fully recovered from injury, replaced by Monaco’s uncapped Axel Disassi.
Christopher Nkunku was initially named in the squad but was withdrawn on November 15 due to an injury picked up in training. Deschamps has confirmed that Frankfurt star Randle Kolo Muani will take his place in Qatar.
On the eve of the start of the World Cup, Karim Benzema was also ruled out after Deschamps decided not to call up a replacement after picking up an injury in training.
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
| GK | 23 | Alphonse Areola | West Ham (ENG) | 29 | 5 |
| GK | 1 | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham (ENG) | 35 | 139 |
| GK | 16 | Steve Mandanda | Rennes (FRA) | 37 | 34 |
| DEF | 3 | Axel Disasi | Monaco (FRA) | 24 | 0 |
| DEF | 21 | Lucas Hernandez* | Bayern Munich (FRA) | 26 | 32 |
| DEF | 22 | Theo Hernandez | AC Milan (ITA) | 25 | 7 |
| DEF | 24 | Ibrahima Konate | Liverpool (ENG) | 23 | 2 |
| DEF | 5 | Jules Kounde | Barcelona (SPA) | 23 | 12 |
| DEF | 2 | Benjamin Pavard | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 46 |
| DEF | 17 | William Saliba | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 7 |
| DEF | 18 | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 | 7 |
| DEF | 4 | Raphael Varane | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 87 |
| DEF | 13 | Youssouf Fofana | Monaco (FRA) | 23 | 2 |
| MID | 25 | Eduardo Camavinga | Real Madrid (SPA) | 19 | 4 |
| MID | 6 | Matteo Guendouzi | Marseille (FRA) | 23 | 6 |
| MID | 14 | Adrien Rabiot | Juventus (ITA) | 27 | 29 |
| MID | 8 | Aurelien Tchouameni | Real Madrid (SPA) | 22 | 14 |
| MID | 15 | Jordan Veretout | Marseille (FRA) | 29 | 5 |
| FWD | 11 | Ousmane Dembele | Barcelona (FRA) | 25 | 28 |
| FWD | 20 | Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 40 |
| FWD | 9 | Olivier Giroud | AC Milan (ITA) | 36 | 114 |
| FWD | 7 | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 110 |
| FWD | 10 | Kylian Mbappe | PSG (FRA) | 23 | 59 |
| FWD | 26 | Marcus Thuram | Bor. M’Gladbach (GER) | 25 | 4 |
| FWD | 12 | Randal Kolo Muani | Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) | 23 | 2 |
Fance National Team’s Stars, Strengths, and Weakness
The 2018 World Cup winners remain one of the strongest teams in the world despite their recent struggles.
France have a good mix of young and old talent to go to Qatar.
STARS
Kylian Mbappe is the undisputed star of this France team and scored four goals as a teenager at the last World Cup.
The PSG forward is halfway to becoming the side’s all-time top scorer, a record he will surely break for years to come. His goals will prove crucial if France is to succeed in Qatar.
The goalkeeper may not be as attractive as Hugo Lloris, but is sure to become France’s most-capped player if he makes at least four appearances at the 2022 World Cup.
POWERS
There is no shortage of scorers in this French team. Along with Mbappe, experienced strikers like Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann give this side plenty of players capable of reaching the final third.
Age is also on Les Bleus’ side, heading into Qatar, with a great mix of youth and experience set to take the pitch.
WEAKNESS
While capable of scoring a lot of goals, this France team is also weak in its fair share.
They have kept just one clean sheet in their last five games ahead of the 2022 World Cup with many of their defenders not exactly shining at the club level. An injury to Man United’s Raphael Varane will ring alarm bells in an already troubled area of the field.
They also have a very thin midfield due to injuries to Pogba and Kante.