Deschamps announces France's squad for the World Cup: Mbappé leads 26 players for the coach's final major tournament
The French national football team has received its final list of players for the 2026 World Cup, and Didier Deschamps announced 26 names on May 14 during TF1's evening program with whom he will try once again to lead France to the final stages of the biggest football competition. According to the announcement by the French Football Federation, this is a national team that enters the tournament as number one in the FIFA ranking and as one of the most experienced teams among the European contenders for the title. The list is also important because of the context of Deschamps's mandate: according to FIFA and earlier public announcements, the coach will leave France's bench after the 2026 World Cup, closing a period that began in 2012. During that period, France won the 2018 World Cup, played in the 2022 final and remained among the most stable national teams in world football.
According to the FFF, before departing for North America, the national team will hold a gathering at the National Football Center in Clairefontaine from May 29. France will then play two friendly matches: against Ivory Coast on June 4 in Nantes and against Northern Ireland on June 8 in Lille. At the tournament itself, France has been placed in Group I, where it will play against Senegal, Iraq and Norway. The first match is scheduled for June 16 against Senegal at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, the second on June 22 against Iraq in Philadelphia, and the third on June 26 against Norway in Foxborough. According to the FFF announcement, the French base during the tournament will be in Boston, that is, in the state of Massachusetts.
The list of 26 players combines continuity and new solutions
The goalkeeping list includes Mike Maignan, Robin Risser Birckel and Brice Samba. In defense are Lucas Digne, Malo Gusto, Lucas Hernandez, Théo Hernandez, Ibrahima Konaté, Jules Koundé, Maxence Lacroix, William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano. The midfield consists of N'Golo Kanté, Manu Koné, Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Warren Zaïre-Emery. In attack are Maghnes Akliouche, Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise and Marcus Thuram. According to the official FFF page with the latest selection, this is a division that clearly shows depth in the attacking section, but also Deschamps's desire to keep a tested backbone in defense and midfield.
As expected, the greatest attention is drawn by Kylian Mbappé, the captain and most prominent player of this generation. In the statistical overview of the list, the FFF states that Mbappé is the most experienced player on the list with 96 appearances and the top scorer among those called up with 56 goals for the national team. This figure further emphasizes his role in the team, especially because France relies on attackers who have already shown that they can take responsibility in big matches. Alongside Mbappé, among the players with great international experience are Ousmane Dembélé, N'Golo Kanté, Adrien Rabiot and Lucas Digne, while the younger part of the list brings players such as Désiré Doué, Rayan Cherki, Maghnes Akliouche and Warren Zaïre-Emery.
According to FFF statistics, the 26 selected players have a total of 763 appearances for the French national team, giving an average of 29.35 appearances per player. The federation states that five players have more than 50 appearances, and thirteen have at least 30 appearances. At the same time, eight have still not exceeded ten appearances, which shows that Deschamps did not choose exclusively the most experienced players, but kept room for those who should carry the national team even after 2026. Such a structure of the list fits into his long-standing approach: relying on players who know the demands of major competitions, while gradually including younger and technically more pronounced solutions.
Risser as the third goalkeeper and the coach's explanation
One of the topics of Deschamps's press conference was the choice of the third goalkeeper. According to the FFF report from the conference held after the list was announced, the coach spoke specifically about Robin Risser Birckel and explained that the decision was made according to sporting criteria. Deschamps stated that Risser had a very good season and recalled that other options were burdened by a lack of minutes or health circumstances. In that context, he also mentioned that Hugo Lloris, the long-time captain and 2018 world champion, had not considered candidacy for the position of third goalkeeper.
The choice of Risser is therefore not only a technical matter of filling out the list. In national-team football, the third goalkeeper often has an important role in daily work, maintaining training intensity and dressing-room stability, even when he does not come to the forefront during matches. Over the years, Deschamps has shown that he does not view such roles superficially, but as part of the team's overall balance. Maignan remains the first choice between the posts, Samba brings experience and reliability, and Risser has been called up as a younger solution who, according to the coach's assessment, earned a place on the list through his sporting performance.
France enters the tournament with a strong club base
The FFF statistical overview also shows the diversity of the club origins of the French internationals. According to those data, eight players come from France's Ligue 1, seven from the English Premier League, four from Italy's Serie A, and three from Spain's La Liga. Such a distribution confirms that France continues to draw players from the strongest European leagues, but also that the domestic championship has a significant role in forming the national team. Ligue 1 is especially represented through players such as Brice Samba, Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué.
The Premier League is represented through defensive and attacking profiles such as Ibrahima Konaté, William Saliba, Malo Gusto, Maxence Lacroix, Rayan Cherki and Jean-Philippe Mateta, while Serie A brings players such as Mike Maignan, Manu Koné, Adrien Rabiot and Marcus Thuram. From La Liga come Jules Koundé, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Kylian Mbappé. For Deschamps, this is important because it enables him to combine different competitive habits: the physical demands of English football, the tactical discipline of the Italian championship, the technical quality of the Spanish environment and the French school that in recent decades has produced a large number of players for the highest level.
According to the FFF, the list also includes nine players who were finalists in European club competitions this season. This figure indicates that part of the squad arrives at preparations after a very demanding end to the club season, but also with the competitive rhythm of high-pressure matches. For the coach, this is both an advantage and a challenge. The advantage is the experience of playing in matches that decide trophies, and the challenge is managing physical load in the period from the end of May to the beginning of the tournament.
Experience in major competitions remains the foundation
Deschamps's list relies strongly on players who already know the pressure of final stages. According to the FFF, fifteen of the 26 called-up players appeared at Euro 2024, eleven were part of the 2022 World Cup, and nine played at Euro 2020. The list also includes four world champions from 2018: Lucas Hernandez, N'Golo Kanté, Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé. This continuity is especially important for a national team that is not trying to build a team from scratch, but to upgrade a generation that has already won a title and played another World Cup final.
At the same time, the list contains six players whom the FFF connects with the 2024 Olympic generation: Manu Koné, Maghnes Akliouche, Rayan Cherki, Désiré Doué, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise. Their presence shows that two levels of experience are gradually being joined in the national team. One is the experience of senior final stages and trophy matches, and the other is the competitive freshness of players who stood out in younger or Olympic cycles. Such a combination may be important in the expanded World Cup format, where squad depth and the possibility of rotation can carry greater weight than at earlier tournaments with fewer matches.
France will therefore have to find a balance between individual quality and collective discipline. During his mandate, Deschamps has often been recognized for a pragmatic approach, adaptation to the opponent and emphasis on defensive stability. In the current selection, he has enough players for different systems, from more solid formations with additional security in midfield to variants with a larger number of attack-oriented players. Precisely because of that, the list does not speak only about names, but also about the possibility that France can change tactically during the tournament without a major drop in quality.
Group I brings different challenges
According to the FFF announcement, France will play in Group I against Senegal, Iraq and Norway. Senegal brings a physically strong and internationally experienced national team, and the opening group match may have a major influence on the balance of power. Iraq is an opponent that will require concentration and patience, especially if France has more possession and has to break through a lower block. Norway, meanwhile, represents a European duel with recognizable attacking potential, and the match in Foxborough could be key for the final order in the group.
The match schedule will also require adjustment to different locations in the United States of America. According to the FFF, France will be based in the Boston area, but will play in East Rutherford, Philadelphia and Foxborough. Although the distances within the American East Coast are less demanding than in some other groups, organizational details and recovery between matches will be important. The 2026 World Cup is being held from June 11 to July 19 in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, and the expanded competition format places additional emphasis on squad depth and the quality of preparation.
The friendly matches against Ivory Coast and Northern Ireland therefore will not be only a formality. They will serve Deschamps to check the physical condition of the players after the club season, to coordinate the lines and possibly resolve doubts in the relationship between midfield and attack. Particular attention will be paid to the condition of players who were returning after injuries or had a demanding end to the season. According to the FFF, the coach mentioned at the conference that certain players were absent in March because of injuries, but their returns were expected, among them Koundé, Saliba, Koné, Barcola and Mateta.
Deschamps's final list carries symbolic weight
This list also has a strong symbolic dimension because, according to the FFF, it is Deschamps's seventh final stage of a major competition as coach, counting European and World Championships. At the press conference, he said that the decision on the list carries a special emotion, but that all energy is directed toward the upcoming World Cup. FIFA previously announced that Deschamps will leave the position of France coach after the 2026 tournament, which means this will be his fourth and final World Cup on the national-team bench.
His mandate already has an exceptional place in the history of French football. Deschamps was the captain of the national team that in 1998 won France's first world title, and then in 2018 he won the second as coach. Under his leadership, France played in the 2022 World Cup final, and the continuity of results strengthened the national team's status as one of the most stable in modern international football. That is why the 2026 tournament will be viewed both as a sporting goal and as the final chapter of the coach's long cycle.
For the players, such a context can be an additional motive, but also additional pressure. Mbappé and his teammates enter the competition with the reputation of favorites, with a deep squad and with a coach who knows very well the demands of tournament football. At the same time, the World Cup rarely allows reliance only on past successes. France will have to confirm its quality through every match, manage the rhythm, avoid injuries and maintain internal balance in a dressing room where experienced winners and a new generation meet.
France's squad for the 2026 World Cup
Goalkeepers:
- Mike Maignan
- Robin Risser Birckel
- Brice Samba
Defenders:
- Lucas Digne
- Malo Gusto
- Lucas Hernandez
- Théo Hernandez
- Ibrahima Konaté
- Jules Koundé
- Maxence Lacroix
- William Saliba
- Dayot Upamecano
Midfielders:
- N'Golo Kanté
- Manu Koné
- Adrien Rabiot
- Aurélien Tchouaméni
- Warren Zaïre-Emery
Forwards:
- Maghnes Akliouche
- Bradley Barcola
- Rayan Cherki
- Ousmane Dembélé
- Désiré Doué
- Jean-Philippe Mateta
- Kylian Mbappé
- Michael Olise
- Marcus Thuram
Sources:
- Fédération Française de Football – official announcement of the 26-player list, preparation schedule, base and group matches (link)
- Fédération Française de Football – official page of the latest selection with player names by position (link)
- Fédération Française de Football – statistical overview of the list, number of appearances, goals, club leagues and experience at major competitions (link)
- Fédération Française de Football – summary of Deschamps's press conference after the list was announced (link)
- FIFA – announcement about Deschamps's planned departure from France's bench after the 2026 World Cup (link)