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 in the tournament but must be wary of a recent trend where past winners have failed to escape from their group.
After winning the 2018 World Cup, France also won the UEFA Nations League in 2021, but were knocked out in the round of 16 at the postponed Euros.
Didier Deschamps’ side will go into the 2022 World Cup having won just one of their last six games and will be counting on their players to step up when it matters most in Qatar.
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 | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham (ENG) | 35 | 139 |
| Goalkeeper | Alphonse Areola | West Ham (ENG) | 29 | 5 |
| Goalkeeper | Steve Mandanda | Rennes (FRA) | 37 | 34 |
| Goalkeeper | Alban Lafont | Nantes (FRA) | 23 | 0 |
| Defender | Benjamin Pavard | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 46 |
| Defender | William Saliba | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 7 |
| Defender | Raphael Varane | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 87 |
| Defender | Jules Kounde | Barcelona (SPA) | 23 | 12 |
| Defender | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 | 7 |
| Defender | Ferland Mendy | Real Madrid (SPA) | 27 | 9 |
| Defender | Theo Hernandez | AC Milan (ITA) | 25 | 7 |
| Defender | Lucas Hernandez | Bayern Munich (FRA) | 26 | 32 |
| Defender | Presnel Kimpembe | PSG (FRA) | 28 | 28 |
| Defender | Clement Lenglet | Tottenham (ENG) | 27 | 15 |
| Defender | Kurt Zouma | West Ham (ENG) | 27 | 11 |
| Defender | Lucas Digne | Aston Villa (ENG) | 29 | 46 |
| Midfielder | Paul Pogba | Juventus (ITA) | 29 | 91 |
| Midfielder | Adrien Rabiot | Juventus (ITA) | 27 | 29 |
| Midfielder | Eduardo Camavinga | Real Madrid (SPA) | 19 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Aurelien Tchouameni | Real Madrid (SPA) | 22 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Matteo Guendouzi | Marseille (FRA) | 23 | 6 |
| Midfielder | Jordan Veretout | Marseille (FRA) | 29 | 5 |
| Midfielder | Youssouf Fofana | Monaco (FRA) | 23 | 2 |
| Forward | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 110 |
| Forward | Olivier Giroud | AC Milan (ITA) | 36 | 114 |
| Forward | Kylian Mbappe | PSG (FRA) | 23 | 59 |
| Forward | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid (FRA) | 34 | 97 |
| Forward | Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 40 |
| Forward | Wissam Ben Yedder | Monaco (FRA) | 32 | 19 |
| Forward | Moussa Diaby | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 23 | 8 |
| Forward | Anthony Martial | Manchester United (ENG) | 26 | 30 |
| Forward | Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig (GER) | 24 | 8 |
| Forward | Ousmane Dembele | Barcelona (FRA) | 25 | 28 |
| Forward | Randal Kolo Muani | Eintracht Frankfurt (FRA) | 23 | 2 |
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.
The fitness of certain players will also be influential, with Paul Pogba currently under an injury cloud and 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 Hotspur (ENG) | 35 | 139 |
| Goalkeeper | Alphonse Areola | West Ham (ENG) | 29 | 5 |
| Goalkeeper | Steve Mandanda | Rennes (FRA) | 37 | 34 |
| Defender | Benjamin Pavard | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 46 |
| Defender | Raphael Varane | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 87 |
| Defender | Jules Kounde | Barcelona (SPA) | 23 | 12 |
| Defender | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 | 7 |
| Defender | Ferland Mendy | Real Madrid (SPA) | 27 | 9 |
| Defender | Lucas Hernandez | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 32 |
| Defender | Presnel Kimpembe | PSG (FRA) | 28 | 28 |
| Defender | Clement Lenglet | Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) | 27 | 15 |
| Midfielder | Paul Pogba | Juventus (ITA) | 29 | 91 |
| Midfielder | Jordan Veretout | Marseille (FRA) | 29 | 5 |
| Midfielder | Adrien Rabiot | Juventus (ITA) | 27 | 29 |
| Midfielder | Eduardo Camavinga | Real Madrid (SPA) | 19 | 4 |
| Midfielder | Aurelien Tchouameni | Real Madrid (SPA) | 22 | 14 |
| Midfielder | Matteo Guendouzi | Marseille (FRA) | 23 | 6 |
| Forward | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 110 |
| Forward | Olivier Giroud | AC Milan (ITA) | 36 | 114 |
| Forward | Kylian Mbappe | PSG (FRA) | 23 | 59 |
| Forward | Karim Benzema | Real Madrid (SPA) | 34 | 97 |
| Forward | Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 40 |
| Forward | Wissam Ben Yedder | Monaco (FRA) | 32 | 19 |
| Forward | Anthony Martial | Manchester United (ENG) | 26 | 30 |
| Forward | Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig (GER) | 24 | 8 |
| Forward | Ousmane Dembele | Barcelona (SPA) | 25 | 28 |
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 |
