France have been the most feared force in international football for well over a decade now. They reached the final of the 2022 World Cup and won it in 2018 – how will Les Bleus get on in 2026?
Today, we’ll be taking a look at how France might line up at the tournament. We have included players from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Arsenal, amongst others – can you guess who they are?
GK: Mike Maignan
AC Milan’s Mike Maignan will be run very close by Lucas Chevalier for the honour of being France’s number one – but with so much at stake, Didier Deschamps is more likely to go for experience over youth in this case.
A phenomenal shot-stopper, Maignan has been a worthy successor to Hugo Lloris – one might even suggest that he has surpassed the Tottenham Hotspur legend.
RB: Jules Kounde
France’s right-back position seems like a lock at the moment. Jules Kounde has had a strong season with Barcelona – he is one of the world’s most in-demand players as things stand.
An excellent defender who can contain even the most talented of wingers, he can also function as a centre-back – this sort of pliability is very important at international tournaments.
CB: William Saliba
William Saliba is one of the best defenders in the world at the moment. While Gabriel often takes the headlines for Arsenal, Saliba does a lot of the dirty defensive work that often goes unnoticed.
His positioning is consistently perfect – furthermore, he is also a brilliant tackler. As a centre-back, he can do practically everything.
CB: Loic Bade
We’re picking a left-field option as Saliba’s centre-back partner. Loic Bade has been in top form since the turn of the year, picking up four clean sheets in a row for Bayer Leverkusen in the month of January.
A tall, strong defender with decent technical ability, we think he is the best available option to line up alongside Saliba as things stand.