France unveiled a talent-packed squad for the upcoming World Cup on Thursday, though one major name was missing from Didier Deschamps’ final selection — Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga. Ranked No. 1 in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings, France head into the tournament as one of the strongest contenders.
Captain Kylian Mbappe headlines the squad alongside attacking stars Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise. The midfield will feature Aurelien Tchouameni and veteran N’Golo Kante, while the defence includes William Saliba, Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez. Mike Maignan will serve as the team’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Despite being part of France’s runner-up squad at the 2022 World Cup and featuring in the March international fixtures, Camavinga failed to make the final 26-man list. At club level, he has recently fallen behind Thiago Pitarch in Real Madrid’s midfield pecking order.
“He had a difficult season for him where he played less. He also had injuries,” Deschamps said, as quoted by Reuters. “It’s true that he’s a player who came very early with us. He is still a young player.
“Because I have choices to make the squad structure also has to be even among the defenders, the midfielders and the forwards. But I understand and I imagine his enormous disappointment this evening.”
Deschamps selected Brice Samba and Robin Risser as Maignan’s understudies, with the latter earning recognition after an impressive Ligue 1 campaign. Their inclusion meant there was no place for Lucas Chevalier, who lost his starting role at Paris Saint-Germain earlier this year to Matvei Safonov.
Before heading to their World Cup training base in Boston, France are scheduled to play warm-up matches against Ivory Coast and Northern Ireland. Their Group I campaign begins against Senegal on June 16, followed by fixtures against Iraq on June 22 and Norway on June 26.
Other high-profile omissions included Tottenham forward Randal Kolo Muani and Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul, who finished as Ligue 1’s top scorer this season. Meanwhile, Jean-Philippe Mateta earned a recall despite missing the March friendlies while recovering from a knee injury. He is expected to help cover for the absence of Hugo Ekitike, who has been ruled out with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
The tournament is also expected to mark Deschamps’ final World Cup in charge of France. The manager guided Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 2018 and is widely tipped to hand over the reins to French icon Zinedine Zidane after the competition. France previously lifted the trophy on home soil in 1998 as well.
FRANCE WORLD CUP 2026 SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan, Robin Risser, Brice Samba
Defenders: Malo Gusto, Maxence Lacroix, Jules Kounde, Lucas Digne, Ibrahima Konate, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Hernandez, Theo Hernandez
Midfielders: Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot, N’Golo Kante, Manu Kone, Warren Zaire-Emery
Forwards: Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Rayan Cherki, Marcus Thuram, Maghnes Akliouche, Desire Doue, Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise
– Ends
