France FIFA World Cup 2026 preview – France turns to attacking riches to escape ‘Group of Death’

Every World Cup, when the draw is announced, discovering the ‘group of death’ is one of the things that builds the excitement. The clash between heavyweights, combined with the possibility of a weaker country springing a surprise, like Japan did last edition, creates countless storylines.

But this time the expansion to 48 teams has spread the giants apart, with Group I being as good as you could hope for.

And this time, France are the favorites to win the group and perhaps the entire tournament.

With head coach Didier Deschamps announcing that he will step down from his position after the tournament, he couldn’t have asked for a better group of players to have one last chance at the biggest prize.

Two words best describe France. Fast and deadly. The front three, Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, have scored a combined 83 goals for their clubs this season. And with first-choice striker Hugo Ekitike missing due to injury, goal-scoring duties are expected to fall mainly on the shoulders of captain Mbappe, who is likely to be deployed through the middle.

Furthermore, the two-time champion has some of football’s brightest talents, such as Desire Doué, Rayan Cherki and Bradley Barcola, to call upon from the bench.

And as much as you can praise its attack, France also have some of the best at keeping the ball out of the net. William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano, who are league winners at Arsenal and Bayern Munich this season, form the heart of an experienced backline that also includes Jules Kounde and the Hernandez brothers – Theo and Lucas.

The evergreen Ngolo Kante and his promised successor Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield form the final pieces of a brilliant team that flew through the qualifiers with five wins, one draw and sixteen goals.

Euro 2024 may not have been France’s finest major tournament in recent history. But reaching the semi-finals with one goal from open play is testament to a team capable of racking up victories, and with its players – especially the forwards – in good form, France will embrace the favorite tag.

Player to watch out for: Kylian Mbappé

With two finals in two appearances, Kylian Mbappe has already established himself as a World Cup great. And despite a stellar goalscoring record (42 goals this season), a second successive trophyless campaign at Real Madrid will leave the 27-year-old eager to get his hands on silverware.

Manager: Didier Deschamps

Didier Deschamps knows the World Cup like the back of his hand, as he is just one of three individuals to have won the World Cup both as a player and as a manager. He has reached two finals in three World Cup appearances in charge of France, and with this edition marking the end of his 14-year tenure, he will be happy to join Italy’s Vittorio Pozzo as the only manager to win two titles.

Published on June 10, 2026