France will arrive at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar hungry to defend the title they lifted four years ago in Russia.
Their star-studded side will be confident of another good run at the tournament but must be wary of a recent trend that’s seen past winners fail to escape their group.
After winning the World Cup in 2018, France also won the UEFA Nations League in 2021 but were knocked out in the Round of 16 at the delayed Euros.
Didier Deschamps’s side will go into the 2022 World Cup having won just one of their last six matches and will be relying on their players to step up when it matters most in Qatar.
MORE: Can France win the World Cup? | Is Mbappe about to leave PSG?
Projected France World Cup squad 2022
Manager Deschamps had until Friday, October 21 to submit an official preliminary list of 35-55 players to FIFA from which he will select his final 26-man roster for Qatar by Monday, November 14. France has not made the preliminary roster public to date.
Based on World Cup qualifying squads and friendly rosters over the past year, these are the names most likely to be on France’s preliminary list.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Alphonse Areola | West Ham (ENG) | 29 | 5 |
| Goalkeeper | Alban Lafont | Nantes (FRA) | 23 | 0 |
| Goalkeeper | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham (ENG) | 35 | 139 |
| Goalkeeper | Mike Maignan | AC Milan (ITA) | 27 | 5 |
| Goalkeeper | Steve Mandanda | Rennes (FRA) | 37 | 34 |
| Defender | Jonathan Clauss | Marseille (FRA) | 30 | 6 |
| Defender | Lucas Digne | Aston Villa (ENG) | 29 | 46 |
| Defender | Leo Dubois | Galatasaray (TUR) | 28 | 13 |
| Defender | Lucas Digne | Aston Villa (ENG) | 29 | 46 |
| Defender | Wesley Fofana | Chelsea (ENG) | 21 | 0 |
| Defender | Theo Hernandez | AC Milan (ITA) | 25 | 7 |
| Defender | Presnel Kimpembe | PSG (FRA) | 28 | 28 |
| Defender | Ibrahima Konate | Liverpool (ENG) | 23 | 2 |
| Defender | Jules Kounde | Barcelona (SPA) | 23 | 12 |
| Defender | Clement Lenglet | Tottenham (ENG) | 27 | 15 |
| Defender | Ferland Mendy | Real Madrid (SPA) | 27 | 9 |
| Defender | Benjamin Pavard | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 46 |
| Defender | William Saliba | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 7 |
| Defender | Adrien Truffert | Stade Rennes (FRA) | 21 | 1 |
| Defender | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 | 7 |
| Defender | Raphael Varane | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 87 |
| Defender | Kurt Zouma | West Ham (ENG) | 27 | 11 |
| Midfielder | Eduardo Camavinga | Real Madrid (SPA) | 19 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Youssouf Fofana | Monaco (FRA) | 23 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Matteo Guendouzi | Marseille (FRA) | 23 | 6 |
| Midfielder | Boubacar Kamara | Aston Villa (ENG) | 22 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Adrien Rabiot | Juventus (ITA) | 27 | 29 |
| Midfielder | Aurelien Tchouameni | Real Madrid (SPA) | 22 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Jordan Veretout | Marseille (FRA) | 29 | 5 |
| Forward | Wissam Ben Yedder | Monaco (FRA) | 32 | 19 |
| Forward | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid (FRA) | 34 | 97 |
| Forward | Ousmane Dembele | Barcelona (FRA) | 25 | 28 |
| Forward | Moussa Diaby | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 23 | 8 |
| Forward | Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 40 |
| Forward | Olivier Giroud | AC Milan (ITA) | 36 | 114 |
| Forward | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 110 |
| Forward | Randal Kolo Muani | Eintracht Frankfurt (FRA) | 23 | 2 |
| Forward | Kylian Mbappe | PSG (FRA) | 23 | 59 |
| Forward | Anthony Martial | Manchester United (ENG) | 26 | 30 |
| Forward | Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig (GER) | 24 | 8 |
Final 26-man France World Cup roster
France won’t play again before their final squad has to be named, meaning club form will be key for players hoping to secure their spot in Qatar.
Notably, Paul Pogba is absent from the list, as he was ruled out of action with a new thigh injury picked up while rehabbing his prior knee injury. Pogba’s agent Rafaela Pimenta confirmed in a statement to the media on October 31 that he would not be fit for the FIFA tournament.
The fitness of other injured players will also be critical to discover, with N’Golo Kante already ruled out of the tournament. Raphael Varane’s name is added to that injury list after he left the field in tears in Manchester United’s match against Chelsea on October 22, with a diagnosis still to come.
Here’s a projected look at a plausible 26-man list, assuming all these players are fit and ready.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham (ENG) | 35 | 139 |
| Goalkeeper | Mike Maignan | AC Milan (ITA) | 27 | 5 |
| Goalkeeper | Steve Mandanda | Rennes (FRA) | 37 | 34 |
| Defender | Lucas Digne | Aston Villa (ENG) | 29 | 46 |
| Defender | Lucas Hernandez | Bayern Munich (FRA) | 26 | 32 |
| Defender | Theo Hernandez | AC Milan (ITA) | 25 | 7 |
| Defender | Presnel Kimpembe | PSG (FRA) | 28 | 28 |
| Defender | Jules Kounde | Barcelona (SPA) | 23 | 12 |
| Defender | Ferland Mendy | Real Madrid (SPA) | 27 | 9 |
| Defender | Benjamin Pavard | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 46 |
| Defender | William Saliba | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 7 |
| Defender | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 | 7 |
| Defender | Raphael Varane | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 87 |
| Midfielder | Eduardo Camavinga | Real Madrid (SPA) | 19 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Matteo Guendouzi | Marseille (FRA) | 23 | 6 |
| Midfielder | Boubacar Kamara | Aston Villa (ENG) | 22 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Adrien Rabiot | Juventus (ITA) | 27 | 29 |
| Midfielder | Aurelien Tchouameni | Real Madrid (SPA) | 22 | 14 |
| Forward | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid (FRA) | 34 | 97 |
| Forward | Ousmane Dembele | Barcelona (FRA) | 25 | 28 |
| Forward | Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 40 |
| Forward | Olivier Giroud | AC Milan (ITA) | 36 | 114 |
| Forward | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 110 |
| Forward | Randal Kolo Muani | Eintracht Frankfurt (FRA) | 23 | 2 |
| Forward | Kylian Mbappe | PSG (FRA) | 23 | 59 |
| Forward | Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig (GER) | 24 | 8 |
France national team stars, strengths & weaknesses
The 2018 World Cup winners remain one of the strongest teams in the world, despite recent struggles.
France notably have a good mix of young and old talent to draw upon going into Qatar.
Stars
Kylian Mbappe is the undoubted star of this France team and scored four goals at the last World Cup as a teenager.
The PSG forward is already halfway to becoming the side’s all-time top scorer, a record he will no doubt break in the years to come. His goals will prove crucial if France are to succeed in Qatar.
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris might not be as flashy, but he is set to become France’s most-capped player if he plays at least four games at the 2022 World Cup.
Strengths
There is no shortage of goalscorers in this France team. Alongside Mbappe, veteran strikers like Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann give this side plenty of players capable of stepping up in the final third.
Age is also on Les Bleus’ side going into Qatar, with a perfect blend of youth and experience set to take the pitch.
Weaknesses
While capable of scoring plenty of goals, this France team is also vulnerable to letting their fair share in.
They’ve kept just one clean sheet across their final five games ahead of the 2022 World Cup with a number of their defenders not exactly shining at club level. The injury to Man United’s Raphael Varane will set off alarm bells in what is already a problematic sector of the field.
France World Cup group
France have been drawn in Group D for the 2022 World Cup alongside Australia, Denmark and Tunisia.
In 2018, France also found themselves in group containing both Australia and Denmark.
Les Bleus will be the leading contenders to win Group D, with the Danes looming as arguably their sternest test.
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Tue, Nov. 22 | Denmark vs. Tunisia | 8 a.m. | Education City Stadium |
| Tue, Nov. 22 | France vs. Australia | 2 p.m. | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Sat, Nov. 26 | Tunisia vs. Australia | 5 a.m. | Al Janoub Stadium |
| Sat, Nov. 26 | France vs. Denmark | 11 a.m. | Stadium 974 |
| Wed, Nov. 30 | Tunisia vs. France | 10 a.m. | Education City Stadium |
| Wed, Nov. 30 | Australia vs. Denmark | 10 a.m. | Al Janoub Stadium |
France vs. Australia squad, lineup
A strong start will be vital for France against Australia, with a tougher match against Denmark looming just four days later.
Deschamps will likely look to field a strong starting team for this game and save any experimenting for the Tunisia clash, when they may have already sealed a spot in the Round of 16.
Deschamps has preferred a 3-4-1-2 formation recently, with his fullbacks deployed essentially as midfielders.
France projected starting XI vs. Australia (3-4-1-2)
GK: Hugo Lloris
DFs: Jules Kounde — Raphael Varane — Dayot Upamecano
MFs: Ferland Mendy — Eduardo Camavinga — Aurelien Tchouameni — Benjamin Pavard
FWs: Antoine Griezmann — Karim Benzema — Kylian Mbappe
Can France replace players on World Cup roster?
Once the final 26-man roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup can only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules, “a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team’s first match.”
The team in question would need to submit a medical report to FIFA and if the world governing body determines “the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent the player from taking part in the FIFA World Cup” then the replacement will be allowed.
The replacement player must come from the preliminary list of players submitted to FIFA in October.
