The reign of French football is alive and well, and it may just be peaking. Les Bleus won the World Cup in 2018, finished as the runners-up in 2022, and are among the favorites for this summer’s tournament in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. To boot, domestic giants Paris Saint-Germain are on the cusp of back-to-back Champions League titles.

With so much talent at his disposal, Didier Deschamps had a difficult task in narrowing the wide spectrum of French talent down to just 26 players who will travel for this summer’s tournament, but he revealed that list on Thursday afternoon. Here are the 26 players who will represent Les Bleus in North America:

Full Roster

Goalkeepers (3): Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Rennes), Robin Risser (Lens)

Defenders (9): Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Theo Hernández (Al-Hilal), Lucas Hernández (Paris Saint-Germain), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Münich), William Saliba (Arsenal), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Jules Koundé (Barcelona)

Midfielders (5): N’Golo Kanté (Fenerbahçe), Manu Koné (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurelién Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)

Attackers (9): Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain), Desiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Münich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)

Analysis

Key Players

France’s attacking talent is arguably unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Striker Kylian Mbappé already has 12 World Cup goals in just two appearances and became the second player in competition history to record a hat trick in the final in 2022, and he might not even be the best attacking player on the roster. Winger Ousmane Dembélé fired PSG to the Champions League last spring en route to winning the Ballon d’Or, and both club and star are in good position to repeat their feats in 2026. Mbappé should pair nicely with Dembélé’s club teammates, Desiré Doué and Bradley Barcola, on the wings. Les Bleus’ midfield also includes a mixture of veteran and youth talent, from Fenerbahçe’s N’Golo Kanté to the Real Madrid duo of Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni. In the back, William Saliba is arguably the best center-back in the world, and Mike Maignan ranks third in Serie A in save percentage. France attacking depth might be better than its reserves in the defense, but it truly has no weaknesses.

Key Omissions

The most notable omission from Deschamps’ squad is Randal Kolo Muani, who had a chance to win the 2022 World Cup for his nation, only to be denied by Argentina’s Emi Martínez in what is now one of the most memorable saves in the sport’s history. During that tournament, Kolo Muani had been in the midst of a stellar season with Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring in two of his final three matches before the World Cup, but his career has since stagnated, and he’s produced just one goal in 20 starts this season for relegation-threatened Tottenham Hotspur. The other biggest names missing from Les Bleus are less surprising: Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitiké would’ve undoubtedly made the squad if he hadn’t torn his Achilles tendon on club duty, and Deschamps chose Robin Risser as the third goalie ahead of three-time captain Hugo Lloris, who still stars in Major League Soccer but is now 39 years old.

France World Cup 2026 Odds

France is +500 to win the World Cup, -230 to win Group I — which also features Senegal, Norway, and Iraq — and -5000 to qualify for the knockout stages. It’ll open its tournament with a 3 p.m. ET match against Senegal on June 16th in New Jersey, in which it is a -225 favorite to win and +340 to draw.

Les Bleus are two-time World Cup champions, hoisting the trophy in 1998 and 2018. They last won their group in 2022, securing six points and topping Australia on goal difference.