France World Cup 2026 squad: Full list, predicted lineup, depth chart, latest news

The last dance of Didier Deschamps takes place in North America this summer, as the only living man to win the World Cup as a player and manager leads France into his farewell competition.

Before vacating his seat for Zinedine Zidane, Deschamps attempts to repeat the 2018 heroics at the World Cup 2026 tournament, which France qualified for with a near-perfect record of 16 points from six matches.

However, Les Bleus have suffered major tournament heartbreak on more than one occasion since triumphing over Croatia on a rain-soaked Moscow pitch eight years ago, agonisingly coming up short to Argentina in 2022 either side of Euro 2020 and 2024 failures.

A challenging group with Senegal, Norway and Iraq will be no cakewalk either, and here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth dive into France's World Cup 2026 squad.

France World Cup 2026 full squad list

France were one of the earliest teams to announce their full World Cup squad, as Deschamps unveiled his picks on the evening of May 14.

Les Bleus will take a 26-man squad to North America, headlined by captain Kylian Mbappe and Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, who will lead a star-studded attack for the 2018 champions.

Michael Olise, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki, Maghnes Akliouche and Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta have also been summoned, but there is no space in the squad for struggling Tottenham Hotspur loanee Randal Kolo Muani, or the injured Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool.

Deschamps has also omitted Eduardo Camavinga from his selection, but Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni has been called up to a five-strong midfield selection, also comprising Adrien Rabiot, Warren Zaire-Emery, Manu Kone and the veteran N'Golo Kante.

There were no real shocks in France's defensive selection, comprising Premier League quintet Malo Gusto, William Saliba, Ibrahima Konate, Lucas Digne and Maxence Lacroix, as well as Dayot Upamecano and the Hernandez brothers.

In between the posts, Mike Maignan will be backed up by number two Brice Samba and the uncapped Robin Risser, who has beaten Lucas Chevalier to a spot on the plane.

France World Cup 2026 predicted XI

With such a star-studded selection of players to choose from, Deschamps will have to make extremely difficult decisions in all areas of the field, but perpetual headline-grabber Kylian Mbappe can at least be assured of his place in the XI - so long as he is fit.

Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele and Bayern Munich hotshot Michael Olise are attacking shoo-ins too, forcing Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki, Bradley Barcola and Marcus Thuram to fight for the final attacking spot.

Regardless of any off-field chaos at Real Madrid, Aurelien Tchouameni is a sure-fire pick in the heart of midfield, potentially alongside long-time Deschamps favourite Adrien Rabiot thanks to his stellar form for AC Milan this season.

Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez are the standout right and left-back options respectively, but a fascinating three-way fight for central defensive starts will emerge between Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konate and William Saliba.

France predicted XI for World Cup 2026: Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, T. Hernandez; Rabiot, Tchouameni; Olise, Doue, Mbappe; Dembele

France World Cup 2026 squad latest news

Two Madrid-based Frenchmen hit the back pages for all the wrong reasons during the lead-up to the World Cup, as Aurelien Tchouameni and teammate Federico Valverde came to blows during a training session, leaving the latter needing hospital treatment.

Tchouameni nevertheless played in the Clasico that won Barcelona the La Liga title, but the injured Kylian Mbappe was nowhere to be seen, having pulled his hamstring again on the practice pitches.

However, injury may be the least of Mbappe's worries, as a petition aimed at getting him out of Real Madrid has now surpassed an astronomical 73 million signatures.

Regardless, Paris Saint-Germain's all-time top scorer is raring to go for another shot at World Cup glory, in addition to trying to defend his World Cup Golden Boot.

In terms of recent fitness concerns, William Saliba and Adrien Rabiot have not been working at full capacity in recent days, but the pair are both expected to be given the all-clear to face Senegal in the opening round.