57-year-old head coach of the French national team, Didier Deschamps, has named his final 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The squad is headlined by superstar forwards Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise.
Good old Ngolo Kante was included in the midfield alongside Adrien Rabiot.
Deschamps has chosen a familiar mix of top talent and experienced players as he aims for a third consecutive appearance in the World Cup finals, seeking to improve upon their 2022 performance, where they lost to Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, in a penalty shootout.
Youngsters like Zaire-Emery, Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue will experience their first World Cup fever.
A highly anticipated decision from Deschamps concerned who would be the third-choice goalkeeper for France, especially since PSG’s Lucas Chevalier was out with a thigh injury.
Deschamps ultimately chose 21-year-old Robin Risser. The Lens goalkeeper has been called up to the French national team for the first time, just ahead of the World Cup.
Crystal Palace’s duo of Maxence Lacroix and Jean-Philippe Mateta were surprisingly called up by Deschamps.
France, in Group I, will face Norway, Senegal and Iraq at the World Cup. Les Blues, in their final games, will face the Ivory Coast and Northern Ireland in their final preparation games for the World Cup.
Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the 2026 World Cup:
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (Milan), Robin Risser (Lens), Brice Samba (Rennes)
Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), L. Hernandez (PSG), T. Hernandez (Al-Hilal), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool), Jules Koundé (Barcelona), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: N’Golo Kanté (Fenerbahçe), Manu Koné (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (Milan), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG)
Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (PSG), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Désiré Doué (PSG), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter).
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