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 | 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 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 |
