France World Cup 2026 preview: Players to watch, group matches and squad

Previous World Cup appearances: 16 Best performance: Winners (1998, 2018) First appearance: 1930 (Uruguay) Top goal scorer: Just Fontaine (13) Most appearances: Hugo Lloris (20) Player to watch: Kylian Mbappe FIFA world ranking: 1

The FIFA World Cup begins on June 11. You can follow the action on Al Jazeera’s dedicated World Cup 2026 page with all the latest news, match build-up and live text commentary, and keep up to date with group standings, real-time match results and schedules.

France probably possess the most richly talented pool in world football and could potentially name two or three teams capable of winning the tournament.

They boast the current Ballon d’Or winner in Ousmane Dembele , and he’s not even their best forward with Kylian Mbappe back to top form with Real Madrid despite their rocky 2025-26 season.

After the disappointments of failing to qualify for the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, France have made it to the final four times in the past seven editions.

Still, there is a sense that they should have lifted more trophies, given the talent at their disposal, and they have not always been renowned for playing the most attractive football under coach Didier Deschamps.

Deschamps is the only Frenchman to have lifted the trophy as a player and a manager and has had a glittering resume as manager since 2012. However, there has long been grumbling about him from some quarters, and he has said he will step down after the tournament.

So can Deschamps convert France’s talent into a final trophy before he leaves?