France are the defending champions of the 2022 World Cup and head coach Didier Deschamps will hope that his troops can become the third nation to win successive championships after Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962).
This will be their sixteenth appearance in World Cup, a competition they have won on two occasions (1998, 2018).
Can they get their hands on the golden trophy for the third time in Qatar?
To do that, they have to first qualify for the knockouts by successfully negotiating Australia, Denmark, and Tunisia in Group D.
Given the firepower in their ranks it should not be much of a trouble to wade through the group stages, before locking horns with tougher opponents down the line.
Which 26 players would you pick from the candidates below to make the trip to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?
GOALKEEPERS
Hugo Lloris seems to be the number one choice of Deschamps to stand between the sticks. He is an undisputed starter at Tottenham Hotspur and, barring injury concerns, there would be no reason why he should not be on the flight to Qatar.
Mike Maignan of Milan is a fantastic keeper himself and, should Lloris fail to make it, he should be the one with the gloves in the World Cup.
Alphonse Areola and Alban Lafont give further selection headache to Deschamps as they also have the reputation to put their best foot forward when called upon.
Name (club)
Alphonse Areola – West Ham
Hugo Lloris -Tottenham
Steve Mandanda – Stade Rennes
Benoit Costil – Auxerre
Mike Maignan – Milan
Alban Lafont – Nantes
DEFENDERS
France’s defensive talent pool is simply unbelievable.
There’s William Saliba of Arsenal, Raphael Varane of Manchester United, Presnel Kimpembe of PSG, Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool, Jules Kounde of Barcelona, Wesley Fofana of Chelsea, Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Hernandez of Bayern Munich, all fighting for two or three centre-back spots.
For the left-back position, Theo Hernandez and Ferland Mendy are the front-runners. Both of them play regularly at Milan and Real Madrid respectively and are solid options at the back.
On the other flank, Benjamin Pavard should be the preferred choice, while Ruben Aguilar and Jonathan Clauss are the two other options.
There are a host of other players as well like Clement Lenglet, Lucas Digne, Kurt Zouma who are also potent contenders for a place in the World Cup squad.
There’s little doubt that Deschamps will have to break a sweat or two to prepare his final 26-man list.
Name – Club
Wesley Fofana – Chelsea
Jonathan Clauss – Marseille
Benoit Badiashile – Monaco
William Saliba – Arsenal
Raphael Varane – Manchester United
Ibrahima Konate – Liverpool
Ruben Aguilar – AS Monaco
Lucas Digne – Aston Villa
Presnel Kimpembe – PSG
Benjamin Pavard – Bayern Munich
Clement Lenglet – Tottenham Hotspur
Dayot Upamecano – Bayern Munich
Lucas Hernandez – Bayern Munich
Kurt Zouma – West ham
Ferland Mendy – Real Madrid
Theo Hernandez – AC Milan
Jules Kounde – Barcelona
MIDFIELDERS
Paul Pogba is fighting a race against time to be fit for the World Cup as he is expected to be out of action for between 40 and 60 days following surgery on a meniscus injury.
However, Deschamps has little to worry even if the midfielder fails to make it to Qatar as he is already having to deal with a problem of having too many options!
Adrien Rabiot, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and N’Golo Kante should be the first ones to get the nod. Both Camavinga and Tchouameni are hitting the right chords at Real Madrid and have the right temperament to shine at the World Cup.
Lyon’s Houssem Aouar is another one who will be pushing for a World Cup berth as well.
Creative mastermind Nabil Fekir could slot in as an attacking midfielder and his experience might be key in Qatar.
Name – Club
Corentin Tolisso – Lyon
Eduardo Camavinga – Real Madrid
Matteo Guendouzi – Marseille
Houssem Aouar – Lyon
Nabil Fekir – Real Betis
N’Golo Kante – Chelsea
Adrien Rabiot – Juventus
Aurelien Tchouameni – Real Madrid
Jordan Veretout – Marseille
Tanguy N’Dombele – Napoli
Dimitri Payet – Marseille
Paul Pogba – Juventus
Florian Thauvin – Tigres UANL
Thomas Lemar – Atletico Madrid
Jonathan Ikone – Fiorentina
ATTACKERS
Attack is undoubtedly the strongest department of France.
Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe, and Ousmane Dembele will be fancying their chances of starting in Qatar, but the likes of Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Christopher Nkunku will all be fighting for a starting berth as well.
And that’s not even taken into account players like Anthony Martial, Moussa Diaby and Kingsley Coman yet!
Name – Club
Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid
Olivier Giroud – AC Milan
Anthony Martial – Manchester United
Ousmane Dembele – Barcelona
Kylian Mbappe – PSG
Karim Benzema – Real Madrid
Kingsley Coman – Bayern Munich
Christopher Nkunku – RB Leipzig
Moussa Diaby – Bayer Leverkusen
Wissam Ben Yedder – Monaco
STRONGEST XI
Lloris should be the preferred option in goal.
In defence, Deschamps seems keen on fielding a back-three. That means Kounde, Varane and Lucas Hernandez could all start.
Kante should be starting in midfield alongside Camavinga, with Pavard and Theo Hernandez out wide.
Up front, Mbapppe and Benzema will likely have Griezmann operating in the hole to form an attacking trident of sorts.
France XI (3-4-1-2): Lloris; Kounde, Varane, L. Hernandez; Pavard, Kante, Camavinga, T. Hernandez; Griezmann; Benzema, Mbappe
Source: Goal
