France go into the 2026 World Cup as they go into most tournaments — with enough talent to win it, and just enough chaos hovering around the edges to make you nervous about them.
The 2018 champions and 2022 runners-up are based in Boston for the duration of the tournament, training at Bentley University in Waltham and staying at the Four Seasons. Their group stage highlight comes on June 26 at Gillette — rebranded as Boston Stadium for the tournament — when they face Norway and Erling Haaland in what looks like the standout Group I fixture.
Mbappé is one goal from history
Kylian Mbappé arrives at this tournament one goal away from becoming France's all-time top scorer. He's put up 41 goals and 6 assists for Real Madrid this season. He already scored in Foxboro against Brazil back in March. The stage is set. If he hits that record in the same stadium where he scored the warm-up goal, the narrative practically writes itself.
The bigger concern in attack is what France are missing. Hugo Ekitike — who actually got on the scoresheet against Brazil — ruptured his Achilles in a Champions League match for Liverpool on April 15 and won't be in the squad. Ousmane Dembélé limped off in the 27th minute of a Ligue 1 match on May 17 with what were initially described as positive early signs, but his fitness going into the tournament warrants watching. France's attacking depth is real — Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki, Désiré Doué — but Dembélé's presence or absence changes the dynamic noticeably.
In midfield, the range is almost absurd: 20-year-old Warren Zaïre-Emery alongside 35-year-old N'Golo Kanté, with Aurélien Tchouaméni holding the whole thing together. Tchouaméni is reportedly attracting significant transfer interest away from Real Madrid this summer — he'll be motivated to perform on the biggest stage before that market opens up properly.
A defensive unit that looks genuinely solid
William Saliba, Jules Koundé, and Ibrahima Konaté form the core of a backline that doesn't have many obvious weaknesses. Konaté was particularly strong in the Brazil friendly alongside Maxence Lacroix — both products of the Sochaux academy, both now at top European clubs. Mike Maignan made 106 saves and kept 15 clean sheets across all competitions for AC Milan this season. He's one of the better goalkeepers heading into this tournament.
Defensively, France's odds should reflect a team that can grind out results even when the attacking play isn't flowing. That matters in a knockout tournament.
Deschamps bows out after 14 years
This is the last ride for Didier Deschamps, who steps down after the tournament concludes — 14 years, two finals, one title. Whatever you think of his occasionally conservative approach, the results are hard to argue with.
France's full 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup:
- Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Robin Risser (RC Lens), Brice Samba (Stade Rennais)
- Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Lucas Hernandez (PSG), Theo 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 (AS Roma), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG)
- Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche (AS 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 Milan)
France's Group I schedule sees them open before facing Norway in Boston on June 26. Win the group plus their Round of 32 fixture, and they're back in Foxboro for a quarterfinal on July 9. This squad is built to go deep. The only real question is whether they stay healthy long enough to do it.
