France Eyes a Rare Third Straight World Cup Final After Tactical Shift

France is headed into the 2026 World Cup trying to join a very small club, only West Germany from 1982 to 1990 and Brazil from 1994 to 2002 have reached three straight World Cup finals. France won the World Cup in Russia in 2018 and came within a penalty shootout of another title four years later against Argentina, so a third straight final would match the tournament's most exclusive runs.

That expectation has returned after a difficult summer in 2024, when France was knocked out by Spain in the Euro semifinals and drew heavy criticism for a conservative, unattractive style. Chris Sutton of the BBC wrote that if France were playing in his garden, he would close the curtains. France scored only four goals in six matches in Germany, and only Randal Kolo Muani's semifinal goal was not an own goal or a set-piece strike. Attendance from French fans also dipped, and coach Didier Deschamps was under intense pressure.

Half a year later, Deschamps announced he would leave after the World Cup, ending a 14-year spell. Reports say Zinedine Zidane, his teammate in France's 1998 title, is the leading candidate to replace him. That decision has calmed the mood in Clairefontaine, and Deschamps has spent the past year changing course, building around four attackers, two wingers and a playmaker behind Kylian Mbappe.

The new setup already produced convincing March friendlies, a 2-1 win over Brazil and a 3-1 win over Colombia. France's depth is considered elite, with Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola and Ryan Cherki all competing for attacking roles. Deschamps said it is not about how many attackers play, but being efficient and balanced: "We want to be a less predictable team, harder to read." Mbappe said France has "more quality than in 2022" and wants to go as far as possible, while also chasing the all-time World Cup scoring record and a second title.