France are heading into the 2026 World Cup with a chance to join a very exclusive club, as only West Germany from 1982 to 1990 and Brazil from 1994 to 2002 have reached three straight finals. France won the World Cup in Russia in 2018, then came within one penalty shootout of another title four years later, losing the Doha final to Argentina.
The article says France returned to No. 1 in FIFA’s rankings two months ago, edging Spain and Argentina, and will enter the tournament with huge expectations. Yet the mood was very different in summer 2024, when France were eliminated by Spain in the Euro 2024 semifinal after a dull, conservative campaign that produced only four goals in six games in Germany. British pundit Chris Sutton wrote that if France played in his garden, he would "close the curtains," a line that reflected the widespread criticism of Didier Deschamps.
Deschamps, who announced he will leave after the World Cup and end a 14-year spell in charge, has calmed matters at Clairefontaine. Reports say Zinedine Zidane, his teammate in France’s 1998 World Cup win, is the leading candidate to replace him. The coach has also changed his approach in his final year, using four attacking players, two wingers and a playmaker behind Kylian Mbappe, and the new setup delivered March friendlies wins over Brazil, 2-1, and Colombia, 3-1.
France’s squad depth remains a major strength. Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele are central to the revamped attack, with Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki competing for minutes. Deschamps said the issue is not how many attackers start, but efficiency and defensive balance, adding, "We want to be a less predictable team." In goal and defense, he can rely on Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez, Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba, while Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot provide control in midfield. Mbappe said, "There is more quality in this team than there was in 2022," and said his goal is to win a second World Cup and keep pushing as far as possible.
