France 2026 World Cup preview: Odds, key players and predictions

France come into the tournament as the bookies' joint-favourites to win the 2026 World Cup, which would be a second triumph in three attempts following their victory at the 2018 World Cup.

Priced at just 9/2, Didier Deschamps' former world champions are excellently placed to put the rest of the world to the sword again, and are tipped by Ladbrokes as one of the countries most likely to reach the final this year - but should they get there, they would also run the risk of becoming just the third nation ever to lose back-to-back World Cup finals.

• Qualification record: 5 wins - 1 draw - 0 losses

• Goals for / against: 16 / 4

France weren't far away from a perfect qualifying campaign in the lead up to this summer's 2026 World Cup, with five wins and a draw seeing them cruise to the top of their group and book their ticket for North America with little fuss.

An extended Nations League campaign - where they picked up a bronze medal - meant they were in a small qualification group alongside Ukraine, Iceland, and Azerbaijan, but they made light work of their opponents. Since then, France have also beaten Brazil and Colombia in difficult friendlies, so they seem more than ready to step up this summer and show their class once again.

France have been crowned champions of the world on two separate occasions in their history, winning their first-ever World Cup on home soil in 1998, before lifting the trophy again 20 years later at the 2018 World Cup - where they demolished Croatia in the final, with Kylian Mbappe becoming the youngest player to score in a World Cup final since Pele in 1958.

Having fallen at the final hurdle in 2022, losing to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina, another appearance in the final this time around would see them equal the record of three consecutive top-two finishes at the World Cup, matching West Germany (1982-1990) and Brazil (1994-2002).

The key men in France's squad certainly come in the attacking areas, with Golden Boot favourite Kylian Mbappe one of many standout names in the final third - and he may well face stiff competition from a few of his teammates at the top of the goalscoring charts.

Whether it's 2025 Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, Bayern Munich magician Michael Olise, or PSG's electric winger Desire Doue - the youngest player to score a brace in a Champions League final - the France frontline will be full of threat this summer, giving them a real chance against any nation they may face.

A squad full of experience, confidence, and frightening ability, this France side is perfectly equipped to make history and leave the States with another World Cup triumph to their name.

France's 2026 World Cup squad

Manager: Didier Deschamps

Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan / Robin Risser / Brice Samba

Defenders: Lucas Digne / Malo Gusto / Lucas Hernandez / Theo Hernandez / Ibrahima Konate / Jules Kounde / Maxence Lacroix / William Saliba / Dayot Upamecano

Midfielders: N'Golo Kante / Manu Kone / Adrien Rabiot / Aurelien Tchouameni / Warren Zaire-Emery

Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche / Bradley Barcola / Rayan Cherki / Ousmane Dembele / Desire Doue / Jean-Philippe Mateta / Kylian Mbappe / Michael Olise / Marcus Thuram

Our predicted lineup for France's opening game against Senegal sees them set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

GK: Mike Maignan

RB: Jules Kounde

CB: William Saliba

CB: Dayot Upamecano

LB: Theo Hernandez

CM: Aurelien Tchouameni

CM: Adrien Rabiot

RW: Michael Olise

CAM: Ousmane Dembele

LW: Desire Doue

ST: Kylian Mbappe

France have landed in Group I this summer, and despite being drawn into what is certainly one of the toughest groups at the 2026 World Cup, they enter as clear front-runners to qualify for the knockouts.

Norway and Senegal will look to challenge the World Cup's joint-favourites for a place in the round of 32, while Iraq will be lucky to scrape any points out of three brutal fixtures, but France's immense depth and enviable talent mean they're odds-on to top the group.

You can check out our in-depth preview for Group I, including information on all four nations, with odds and predictions.

As joint-favourites to win the whole thing, anything other than World Cup glory would represent a failure of a summer for Didier Deschamps' side, but with the pain of 2022's crushing defeat to Argentina spurring them on, we're backing France to reach the final for a third consecutive World Cup.

However, despite being tipped to enjoy an exceptional tournament, our experts are predicting that they will be losing finalists for the second straight tournament, with one of the other international powerhouses coming up trumps in the States.

They might have a squad to strike fear into any opponent, but recent defeats to the likes of Spain and Croatia suggest they can be susceptible to slip-ups - so Ladbrokes is tipping another heartbreaking World Cup final defeat for Les Bleus.

Prediction: Runners-up

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All odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.

View the latest World Cup 2026 odds.