Griffin Wong breaks down France\u2019s official 2026 World Cup roster, including key players and key omissions.<\/p>\n
The reign of French football is alive and well, and it may just be peaking. Les Bleus won the World Cup in 2018, finished as the runners-up in 2022, and are among the favorites for this summer\u2019s tournament in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. To boot, domestic giants Paris Saint-Germain are on the cusp of back-to-back Champions League titles. <\/p>\n
With so much talent at his disposal, Didier Deschamps had a difficult task in narrowing the wide spectrum of French talent down to just 26 players who will travel for this summer\u2019s tournament, but he revealed that list on Thursday afternoon. Here are the 26 players who will represent Les Bleus in North America:<\/p>\n
Full Roster<\/p>\n
\ud835\udc6c\ud835\udc97\ud835\udc86\ud835\udc93\ud835\udc9a\ud835\udc90\ud835\udc8f\ud835\udc86 \ud835\udc89\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc94 \ud835\udc82 \ud835\udc93\ud835\udc90\ud835\udc8d\ud835\udc86 \ud835\udc95\ud835\udc90 \ud835\udc91\ud835\udc8d\ud835\udc82\ud835\udc9a \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\udf0e<\/p>\n
The 26 Les Bleus who will represent France at the \ud835\udc16\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc1d \ud835\udc02\ud835\udc2e\ud835\udc29 \ud835\udfd0\ud835\udfce\ud835\udfd0\ud835\udfd4 \ud83d\udd25#FiersdetreBleus<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/h7MabEBrqi<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 French Team \u2b50\u2b50 (@FrenchTeam) May 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Goalkeepers (3): Mike Maignan (AC Milan<\/a>), Brice Samba (Rennes), Robin Risser (Lens)<\/p>\n Defenders (9): Lucas Digne (Aston Villa<\/a>), Theo Hern\u00e1ndez (Al-Hilal), Lucas Hern\u00e1ndez (Paris Saint-Germain), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace<\/a>), Ibrahima Konat\u00e9 (Liverpool), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern M\u00fcnich), William Saliba (Arsenal), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Jules Kound\u00e9 (Barcelona)<\/p>\n Midfielders (5): N\u2019Golo Kant\u00e9 (Fenerbah\u00e7e), Manu Kon\u00e9 (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aureli\u00e9n Tchouam\u00e9ni (Real Madrid<\/a>), Warren Za\u00efre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)<\/p>\n Attackers (9): Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City<\/a>), Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 (Paris Saint-Germain), Desir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9 (Paris Saint-Germain), Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern M\u00fcnich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)<\/p>\n Analysis<\/p>\n Key Players<\/p>\n France\u2019s attacking talent is arguably unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Striker Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 already has 12 World Cup goals in just two appearances and became the second player in competition history to record a hat trick in the final in 2022, and he might not even be the best attacking player on the roster. Winger Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 fired PSG to the Champions League last spring en route to winning the Ballon d\u2019Or, and both club and star are in good position to repeat their feats in 2026. Mbapp\u00e9 should pair nicely with Demb\u00e9l\u00e9\u2019s club teammates, Desir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9 and Bradley Barcola, on the wings. Les Bleus\u2019 midfield also includes a mixture of veteran and youth talent, from Fenerbah\u00e7e\u2019s N\u2019Golo Kant\u00e9 to the Real Madrid duo of Eduardo Camavinga and Aur\u00e9lien Tchouam\u00e9ni. In the back, William Saliba is arguably the best center-back in the world, and Mike Maignan ranks third in Serie A in save percentage. France attacking depth might be better than its reserves in the defense, but it truly has no weaknesses.<\/p>\n Key Omissions<\/p>\n The most notable omission from Deschamps\u2019 squad is Randal Kolo Muani, who had a chance to win the 2022 World Cup for his nation, only to be denied by Argentina\u2019s Emi Mart\u00ednez in what is now one of the most memorable saves in the sport\u2019s history. During that tournament, Kolo Muani had been in the midst of a stellar season with Eintracht Frankfurt<\/a>, scoring in two of his final three matches before the World Cup, but his career has since stagnated, and he\u2019s produced just one goal in 20 starts this season for relegation-threatened Tottenham Hotspur<\/a>. The other biggest names missing from Les Bleus are less surprising: Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitik\u00e9 would\u2019ve undoubtedly made the squad if he hadn\u2019t torn his Achilles tendon on club duty, and Deschamps chose Robin Risser as the third goalie ahead of three-time captain Hugo Lloris, who still stars in Major League Soccer but is now 39 years old. <\/p>\n France World Cup 2026 Odds<\/p>\n France is +500 to win the World Cup<\/a>, -230 to win Group I<\/a> \u2014 which also features Senegal, Norway, and Iraq \u2014 and -5000 to qualify for the knockout stages<\/a>. It\u2019ll open its tournament with a 3 p.m. ET match against Senegal on June 16th in New Jersey, in which it is a -225 favorite to win<\/a> and +340 to draw.<\/p>\n Les Bleus are two-time World Cup champions, hoisting the trophy in 1998 and 2018. They last won their group in 2022, securing six points and topping Australia on goal difference.<\/p>\n