The reigning champions have a squad popping with superstars like Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Hugo Lloris, Raphael Varane, Adrien Rabiot, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud… but there’s no Pogba, Kante, or Mendy.
World Cup holders, France won’t let go of the most coveted trophy in football easily.
And they have the team to mount a successful defense too with a sensationally talented group.
Two big names we knew weren’t going to make it are Paul Pogba and Ngolo Kante, both will miss the tournament through injury.
Injuries have weighed heavily on head coach Didier Deschamps’ decisions with a number of players in uncertain shape, World Cup winner Raphael Varane has made ‘la liste’ despite his fitness worries.
Luckily for Deschamps, France still boasts talents of universal envy like the most recent Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema who is in the form of his life, and Kylian Mbappe who has 11 goals and two assists in 13 games for PSG this season.
Add to that the rise of a new generation like Aurelien Tchoumeni (22) who has proved at Real Madrid that he can step into that defensive-midfield Kante role without a problem, Eduardo Camavinga (19) who has also impressed at Real Madrid and William Saliba (21) who’s hardly put a foot wrong at the heart of Arsenal’s defense this season.
Throw World Cup winners like Hugo Lloris and Antoine Griezmann into the mix along with the wizardry of Ousmane Dembele and it looks like a pretty potent recipe to defend a World Cup.
France World Cup squad Qatar 2022
Here’s the full and official France squad of 25 players chosen for the Qatar World Cup.
Goalkeepers:
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur)
Alphonse Areola (West Ham)
Steve Mandanda (Rennes)
Defenders:
Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
Presnel Kimpembe (PSG)
Jules Kounde (Barcelona)
Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool)
Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
Raphael Varane (Manchester United)
William Saliba (Arsenal)
Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich)
Theo Hernandez (AC Milan)
Midfielders:
Adrien Rabiot (Juventus)
Aurelien Tchoumeni (Real Madrid)
Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid)
Youssouf Fofana (Monaco)
Matteo Guendouzi (Marseille)
Jordan Veretout (OM)
Forwards:
Kylian Mbappe (Pairs Saint-Germain)
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Olivier Giroud (AC Milan)
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico)
Kingsley Coman (Bayern)
Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
France was drawn in Group D in Qatar and opened their campaign against Australia on Tuesday, November 22, then taking on Denmark on November 26 and Tunisia on the 30th.
If they qualify from their group in the top spot as most expect them to, then Les Bleus could face the runner-up of Group C: Argentina, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, or Poland.
Should they navigate through that test then France could be on a collision course with England in the quarter-finals and potentially Belgium or Portugal in the semis.
France Fifa World Cup 2022 Fixture:
Tuesday 22 November: France vs Australia – 19:00
Saturday 26 November: France vs Denmark – 16:00
Wednesday 30 November: Tunisia vs France – 15:00