{"id":43872,"date":"2026-05-18T10:42:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T09:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/?p=43872"},"modified":"2026-05-18T10:44:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T09:44:57","slug":"france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/","title":{"rendered":"France at the 2026 World Cup: Les Bleus&#8217; Road to Reclaiming the Trophy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Image by Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bursting at the seams with world-class talent, big things are expected from France this summer, but can Les Bleus shake off the burden of expectation to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Few, if any squads, competing in North America will be sprinkled with as much stardust as this current French collective. Winners in 2018 and beaten finalists in 2022, France also have a proven, recent pedigree on this stage, so outright glory has to be the aim again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, France wilted at their last major tournament in Euro 2024, exiting at the semi-final stage following a string of toothless displays, so they have questions to answer and points to prove stateside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Market sentiment still continues to side with Didier Deschamp\u2019s charges however, with France wrestling with Spain for the honour of pre-tournament outright favourites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If everything clicks, the French should be difficult to stop, and in this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/world-cup-2026\/\">MansionBet.com World Cup<\/a> feature, we examine their chances of winning the 20206 World Cup in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How did France qualify for the 2026 World Cup?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"France \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7 \u25cf Road to the 2026 World Cup\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kk7nLzhO8j4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Placed in a four-team group alongside Ukraine, Iceland and Azerbaijan, France\u2019s route to the 2026 World Cup looked uncomplicated from the outset and as expected, they made light work of their task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>France won five and drew one of their six qualifiers in UEFA Group D, scoring 16 times while conceding just four goals at the other end, collecting 16 of the 18 points on offer to top the section comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kylian Mbappe was their most productive individual, chipping in with five goals and three assists during France\u2019s straightforward campaign, with Bayern Munich\u2019s Michael Olise and Crystal Palace\u2019s Jean-Philippe Mateta chipping in with two goals each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the French talent pool incredibly deep, Head Coach Didier Deschamps was keen to involve as many players as possible during the nation\u2019s qualification run, and 30 different individuals were handed minutes across France\u2019s six qualifiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>France went on to win a couple of high-profile friendly fixtures in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport\/football\/live\/c0krjdxygjet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">March against Brazil (2-1)<\/a> and Colombia (3-1) too, with Desire Doue, who notched twice against the Colombians, staking a major claim for a prominent role in Deschamps\u2019 XI at the World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">World Cup 2026: France\u2019s Group I opponents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>France will share Group I with Senegal, Iraq and Norway at the World Cup and if proceedings run according to form and ranking, Les Bleus should top the section. France have been priced at around 2\/5 to win Group I with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/world-cup-2026\/bookmaker-reviews\/\">best World Cup betting sites<\/a>. Here\u2019s a snapshot on each of their opponents:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Senegal:<\/strong> The current AFCON champions famously beat France in a World Cup group game in 2002, and matching that result this time around would be seen as show stopper of equal magnitude. The Lions de la T\u00e9ranga could be a real nuisance this summer, with Everton&#8217;s Iliman Ndiaye, Al-Nassr&#8217;s Sadio Mane and Crystal Palace&#8217;s Ismaila Sarr just a few of the dangerous forwards at Senegal\u2019s disposal. France play Senegal at the MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford on June 16<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Iraq:<\/strong> Playing at their first World Cup since 1986, Iraq beat Bolivia in a playoff after a convoluted qualification process to reach the finals for the first time in 40 years. Graham Arnold, who oversaw Australia\u2019s surprise run to the Round of 16 at the 2022 edition, is on the Iraqi hotseat, though it would be seen as an upset if the Lions of Mesopotamia made it out of their group this year. France play Iraq at the Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia on June 22<sup>nd<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Norway:<\/strong> The Norwegians return to the World Cup platform for the first time since 1998 and they have the talent to make a real splash this summer. Norway won 100% of their eight games to finish ahead of Italy during qualification. Erling Haaland remains the biggest draw, though the Man City star is aided by a strong supporting cast from around Europe\u2019s major leagues. France take on Norway at the Gillette Stadium, Foxborough on June 26<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">World Cup 2026: France\u2019s Key Players<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Michael Olise is WORLD CLASS! 2026 \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7\ud83d\udd25\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TufUt_n6eds?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Kylian Mbappe<\/strong> \u2013 The Real Madrid man finished his club campaign on a sour note and was even booed by his own supporters in La Liga, however, that should mean that he is extra motivated to perform this summer. A winner in 2018, Mbappe scored a hattrick in the final of World Cup 2022, and the 27-year-old his has 12 goals in just 14 appearances at the tournament overall. &nbsp;Mbappe could surpass Oliver Giroud to become France\u2019s all-time top goalscorer this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ousmane Dembele<\/strong> \u2013 The winger\u2019s return of seven goals in 58 caps for France is a modest haul for a player of his ability, though Dembele looks well positioned to be a star this summer. The 2025 Ballon d\u2019Or winner is a proven force at club level with PSG and his pace, trickery and precision in front of goal should make him a match-winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dayot Upamecano<\/strong> \u2013 The centre-half anchors the defence for France and Upamecano was one of only three players to start five or more of France\u2019s World Cup qualifiers. The 27-year-old was imperious for Bayern Munich during the Bavarians\u2019 Bundesliga title-winning campaign and the defender\u2019s blend of strong physical and technical traits will make him a vital cog in Didier Deschamps\u2019 side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Michael Olise<\/strong> \u2013 Now firmly considered among the world\u2019s elite players in his position, Olise delivered 20+ goals and 20+ assists for Bayern Munich in all competitions last season, and has made a habit of producing in clutch moments. The 24-year-old will feature at a World Cup for the first time this year and he has the quality to steal the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">France\u2019s Strengths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udea8 OFFICIAL: France World Cup final squad. \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7<br><br>Any changes you\u2019d make? \ud83c\udfc6\ud83d\udc40 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/46f3BD3AoN\">pic.twitter.com\/46f3BD3AoN<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FabrizioRomano\/status\/2054996612720492828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 14, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The depth of talent available to Head Coach Didier Deschamps is mind blowing and France could probably send two competitive squads to this summer\u2019s 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The variety of options open to Deschamps was evident when he named his provisional squad for the tournament and there was no room for big players like Eduardo Camavinga, Kingsley Coman and Randal Kolo Muani, while the absence of injured Liverpool attacker Hugo Ekitik\u00e9 barely caused a ripple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Les Blues have balance and variety all over the pitch, their arsenal of weapons in attack is particularly impressive, with the list of names there likely to set defenders\u2019 knees knocking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, Ousmane Dembele, Marcus Thuram, Bradley Barcola, Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Desire Doue are likely to be competing for three spots in France\u2019s frontline, and it\u2019s possible to pull some mouthwatering potential combinations from that stable of forwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">France\u2019s Weaknesses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When everything clicks for France, they can be next to unstoppable, however, they do, on occasion, lack a ruthless edge in attack and are prone to fluffing their lines in front of goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That wasteful streak was particularly noticeable in their qualifiers against Iceland, where France manufactured 20+ shots in each game, but could only force a narrow 2-1 at home and a 2-2 draw away against the islanders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>France\u2019s clunkiness in the opponents\u2019 penalty area was also a feature of their Euro 2024 campaign and eventual semifinal exit. The French scored only four times in six fixtures in that competition before they were eliminated by Portugal, and that included two own goals and a penalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With so many big-name attackers pushing for starting berths, Didier Deschamps might also be having sleepless nights in terms of selection. It might be difficult for the French boss to keep egos in check and the mood in the camp positive when he\u2019s leaving out players who are used to being protagonists at club level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best teams also require a selflessness in the final third to be at their most effective, though France have several forwards who have \u201cmain character syndrome\u201d. That could create problems, especially if performances or results aren\u2019t what they should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there is the Kylian Mbappe question. What frame of mind is Mbappe likely to be in following his unsettling end to the club campaign with Real Madrid? Will speculation around his future have an adverse effect on his performances?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can France win the 2026 FIFA World Cup?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>France endured heartbreak at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when they were ousted by Lionel Messi and Argentina in a chaotic final, though their failure at the final hurdle last time could provide the motivation they need to win in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much of Les Bleus\u2019 chances rest on how Didier Deschamps manages the quality and egos in his frontline. If the 57-year-old can harness the frightening firepower at his disposal fully, then France could blow most opponents away this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Deschamps, who will exit his role after 14 years in July, will be determined to end his stint on a high, though he toiled in his attempts to get the best out of his troops at Euro 2024, when France never got going as an attacking force, despite their advancement to the final four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A run to the semi-final at FIFA World Cup 2026 should be the minimum that French fans demand, an outcome that carried a price of around 6\/4 at the time of writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is interesting to note that France and Spain have been kept apart on opposite sides of the draw. La Roja beat France in the semis of Euro 2024 en route to winning the competition, and they also toppled Les Blues 5-4 in a Nations League thriller when the countries last crossed paths in May last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t be surprised if France meet their Spanish adversaries in the 2026 World Cup Final at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Image by Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0 Bursting at the seams with world-class talent, big things are expected from France this summer, but can Les Bleus shake off the burden of expectation to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Few, if any squads, competing in North America will be sprinkled with as much stardust as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":43874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[737,172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-world-cup","category-football"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>France 2026 World Cup Preview: Can Les Bleus Win It?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"France head to the 2026 World Cup as one of the favourites. We break down their chances of winning the trophy this sumemr here.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"France 2026 World Cup Preview: Can Les Bleus Win It?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"France head to the 2026 World Cup as one of the favourites. We break down their chances of winning the trophy this sumemr here.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MansionBet Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T09:42:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T09:44:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/France-at-the-2026-World-Cup-Les-Bleus-Road-to-Reclaiming-the-Trophy.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Simon Winter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@SWinterMedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Simon Winter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Simon Winter\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2a38db8a775039f30b88d0d4b1463e6d\"},\"headline\":\"France at the 2026 World Cup: Les Bleus&#8217; Road to Reclaiming the Trophy\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T09:42:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-18T09:44:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/\"},\"wordCount\":1625,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/France-at-the-2026-World-Cup-Les-Bleus-Road-to-Reclaiming-the-Trophy.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"FIFA World Cup\",\"Football\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/\",\"name\":\"France 2026 World Cup Preview: Can Les Bleus Win It?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/sports\/football\/france-at-the-2026-world-cup-les-bleus-road-to-reclaiming-the-trophy\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mansionbet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/France-at-the-2026-World-Cup-Les-Bleus-Road-to-Reclaiming-the-Trophy.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T09:42:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-18T09:44:57+00:00\",\"description\":\"France head to the 2026 World Cup as one of the favourites. 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