The France national team's 2026 World Cup squad was announced on Thursday, May 14. The 2018 champions and finalists of the last World Cup, Les Bleus, are one of the strongest contenders in the tournament with their 26-man squad. Didier Deschamps' final tournament — he announced he'd leave coaching after 2026 — could have the most star-studded squad in French history. Mbappé is captain, Ousmane Dembele (2024 Ballon d'Or winner) and Bayern Munich star Michael Olise are the three main figures of the attack.
The most striking entry to the squad is 22-year-old Rayan Cherki. The young midfielder-forward who drew attention with 9 goals and 11 assists in his first season at Manchester City, will make his World Cup career debut. The call-up of backup goalkeeper Robin Risser is also a surprise — as Lens' first-choice goalkeeper he formed Ligue 1's second-best defense. PSG's Désiré Doué (Champions League Young Player of the Season winner), Bradley Barcola and Maghnes Akliouche are also in the team. For attacking options Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta was selected, while Tottenham's Randal Kolo Muani (in relegation fear) and injured Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike are not in the squad.
The midfield is dramatic. Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga was left out of the squad — one of the biggest surprises. His Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni was called up (despite the on-field fight scandal with Vinicius Junior — this could be an unannounced reason for the exclusion). Other midfield names: Adrien Rabiot, Warren Zaire-Emery, Manu Kone and veteran N'Golo Kante (still the backbone of rotation at near 40). In defense, William Saliba (Arsenal), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona) stand out.
Mbappé's situation is critical. The 27-year-old Real Madrid star just returned from a thigh injury sustained last month. He missed Real Madrid's final La Liga matches, but Deschamps said "Mbappé will be ready." For Mbappé, the World Cup carries special meaning: 2018 Champion, 2022 Golden Boot winner (8 goals in Qatar). He's currently just 1 goal behind Olivier Giroud's 57-goal team record — a strong chance to break it in the tournament. Mbappé is also very close to breaking Just Fontaine's 13-goal World Cup record.
Deschamps' admission "we have title-winning potential but 8-10 teams have the same claim" is correct — France is in the gold group alongside Brazil, Argentina, England, Spain and Portugal. France is in Group I (Senegal, Norway, Iraq) and the group stage won't be easy — especially Senegal with Sadio Mane and Norway with Erling Haaland are serious dangers. From the quarterfinals onwards, potential opponents include giants like Spain, Germany, Argentina and Brazil. The tournament begins June 11, and France's opener against Senegal is on June 12 at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey. The final page of Deschamps' 14-year tenure will be written with this tournament.
Source: Based on reports from Al Jazeera, ESPN, Sports Mole, FourFourTwo, Sunday Guardian, Goal.com and CBS Sports on Didier Deschamps' May 14, 2026 France World Cup squad announcement.
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