France World Cup 2026 preview: Players to watch, group matches and squad

Departing coach Didier Deschamps looks to win second title with side led by superstar forwards Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

Previous World Cup appearances: 16 Best performance: Winners (1998, 2018) First appearance: 1930 (Uruguay) Top goal scorer: Just Fontaine (13) Most appearances: Hugo Lloris (20) Player to watch: Kylian Mbappe FIFA world ranking: 1

France probably possess the most richly talented pool in world football and could potentially name two or three teams capable of winning the tournament.

They boast the current Ballon d’Or winner in Ousmane Dembele, and he’s not even their best forward with Kylian Mbappe back to top form with Real Madrid despite their rocky 2025-26 season.

After the disappointments of failing to qualify for the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, France have made it to the final four times in the past seven editions.

Still, there is a sense that they should have lifted more trophies, given the talent at their disposal, and they have not always been renowned for playing the most attractive football under coach Didier Deschamps.

Deschamps is the only Frenchman to have lifted the trophy as a player and a manager and has had a glittering resume as manager since 2012. However, there has long been grumbling about him from some quarters, and he has said he will step down after the tournament.

So can Deschamps convert France’s talent into a final trophy before he leaves?

The Real Madrid forward needs just two goals to surpass Just Fontaine’s record of 13 World Cup goals for France, and he will have his eye on the Golden Ball after a blistering season in front of goal for Real Madrid.

He scored 42 goals and contributed seven assists in 44 matches in all competitions for Madrid, where he has settled in after a slow start following his move from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2024.

Mbappe’s form has been a little more inconsistent at the World Cup. Although he scored a scintillating hat-trick in the last World Cup final, he has sometimes been a peripheral figure in other knockout games.

He has also had to contend with several injuries and niggles this season, missing quite a few games – which makes his goal-scoring exploits all the more impressive.

A fit and happy Mbappe will terrify any defence, and his sheer presence and quality could go far in driving France to glory in 2026.

Of course, Mbappe is far from France’s only devastating attacker.

Dembele won the Ballon d’Or last year after driving PSG to their first Champions League title. The 29 year old has just added a second Champions League title to his resume with victory a