Teams
Ranked number one in the world, France will be looking for their third world title, and their first since 2018. Four years ago, France agonisingly lost in the final against Argentina in what many consider to be the best World Cup final ever, on penalties after a 3-3 draw after extra time. They followed that up with a semi final defeat to Spain in the European Championships two years ago. France qualified with relative ease for this year’s World Cup, winning five and drawing just once on their way to the top of Group D where they finished a full six points clear of second placed Ukraine. WIth only four goals conceded in those six games, its tough to see where their weaknesses lie for the opposition.
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It feels like we’ve seen Mbappe in action for decades, yet the Real Madrid skipper is still only 27 years old, and will reach 100 caps by the end of the tournament barring injury. He is only a few goals short of overtaking Olivier Giroud as France’s all time top goalscorer. Already captaining the side since 2023, there are few individual accolades that he hasn’t won during his career for club and country. He even scored a hattrick in the World Cup final four years ago in Qatar, and its tough to not see him contributing towards France’s progression through this summer’s tournament.