The French national team ("Les Bleus") has been the most dominant, star-studded football empire of the last decade, aiming only for championship glory in every tournament.
One of the strongest teams in the last thirty years, France won the World Cup in 1998 and 2018, and has qualified for WC 2026 for the 17th time.
Didier Deschamps' squad heads to the 48-team tournament with high ambitions. Their goal is to erase the painful memory of the defeat in Qatar and reach the final for the third consecutive time.
Oxu.Az looks at the past, present, and expectations for 2026 of French football.
Deschamps has been instrumental in France's greatest successes. If he leaves after the upcoming tournament, he will have served 14 years in the role.
France's first World Cup was in 1930 in Uruguay. After a 13-day sea voyage, the "Bleus" beat Mexico 4-1 but lost to Argentina and Chile in the group stage.
France's last World Cup was in Qatar. They lost the final to Argentina on penalties 2-4 despite Mbappé's hat-trick.
France qualified for WC 2026 by defeating Ukraine 4-0. Mbappé scored a decisive double. The team finished the qualifiers undefeated as group leaders.
In Group I of WC 2026, France will face Norway, Senegal, and Iraq. Match schedule (Baku time): June 16 23:00 France-Senegal, June 23 01:00 France-Iraq, June 26 23:00 Norway-France.
Just Fontaine scored 13 goals in 1958, the most in a single tournament for France. Mbappé has 12 and is closing in. Hugo Lloris holds the record for most appearances with 20 games.
Memorable moments: bronze in 1958, semi-finals in 1982 and 1986, championship in 1998, final in 2006, championship in 2018. Deschamps' team aims to expand their empire in North America.
