France World Cup squad 2022: All 25 players on French national football team roster for Qatar

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.

Final 26-man France World Cup squad

Manager Deschamps had until Friday, October 21 to submit an official preliminary list of 35-55 players to FIFA from which he selected his final roster for Qatar by Monday, November 14, with up to 26 players allowed on the final list.

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.

N’Golo Kante was also ruled out of the tournament due to injury, while defender Raphael Varane was included despite an injury in the run-up to the tournament. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan was left out amidst injury struggles, as was Boubacar Kamara, while Real Madrid full-back Ferland Mendy was excluded as well.

Finally, there were late reports that Eduardo Camavinga could be left out, but that proved not to be the case. Here’s the 25-man list, with Didier Deschamps opting not to utilize a full 26-man roster. It’s unclear why Deschamps did not take advantage of the full allowable roster size.

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.

They also have a very thin midfield thanks to the injuries to Pogba and Kante.

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.

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: Ousmane Dembele — Karim Benzema — Kylian Mbappe