Our Fantasy FIFA World Cup 2026 team previews continue with a look at France.
The two-time World Cup winners have given us some wonderful teams over recent years, and the squad at Didier Deschamps’ disposal this summer is perhaps their best ever.
Les Bleus have had a fantastic run in this tournament in recent times, having reached the last two finals. They won the World Cup for a second time in 2018 and couldn’t have come any closer four years ago when, after a pulsating 3-3 draw with Argentina, they lost on penalties.
Anything less than victory will be a disappointment to an expectant French public, who have grown used to success.
The bookmakers agree with them, making France the (circa) 9/2 outright favourites to clinch a third success.
SQUAD
THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
France sauntered through qualifying with five wins and a draw in Iceland.
The ease of the group made the matches akin to shooting fish in a barrel, of course. The French put six goals past both Azerbaijan and Ukraine and four past Iceland.
Their average of 2.67 goals per match placed them joint-ninth out of the 54 UEFA teams. Their xG per 90 minutes of 2.29, meanwhile, put them among the top six:
France managed three clean sheets in qualification, conceding just four goals.
Les Bleus ranked ninth for average goals conceded (0.67 per game) and came fifth for xGC (0.82 per 90 minutes).
The fact that they shipped three goals against the only half-decent side in their group suggests this is a team that perhaps can be got at. There were 5-4 and 2-0 defeats in the UEFA Nations League in 2025, too.
BIGGEST GOAL THREATS IN QUALIFICATION
*note: the xG in the above table is non-penalty
Kylian Mbappe ($10.5m) top-scored in qualifying with five goals from a team-best 27 shots, two of which were penalties.
Michael Olise ($9.5m), from 13 efforts, and Jean-Philippe Mateta ($6.5m), from seven, weighed in with two strikes apiece, while six other single-goal scorers who are in the final squad included Bradley Barcola ($8m), Maghnes Akliouche ($6.4m) and Adrien Rabiot ($6.4m).
No defenders got on the scoresheet.
MOST CREATIVE PLAYERS IN QUALIFYING
Olise provided much of France’s creative verve in qualifying, although his team-leading 22 key passes and xA of 2.71 did not result in any assists.
The Bayern winger is on set plays for his country.
Mbappe, on the other hand, came up with three assists from 12 key passes.
Full-backs Malo Gusto ($5.1m), Theo Hernandez ($5.0m) and Lucas Digne ($5.0m) all provided at least one assist.
WORLD CUP FIXTURES
It’s not the most straightforward of groups for France, who will have nightmares about a previous opening-game encounter with Senegal in 2002.
Indeed, seven nations have a bigger percentage chance of winning their respective groups – at least, according to the bookies.
Iraq is the stand-out fixture in Round 2, so you’d probably want Mbappe et al in place for that match.
Either side of that encounter, Senegal and Norway aren’t particularly daunting foes, but neither are they whipping boys.
SINCE QUALIFICATION
| Date | Opposition | Result (France’s first) | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 March | v Brazil | 2-1 | Mbappe, Ekitike |
| 29 March | v Colombia | 3-1 | Doue x2, Thuram |
France have (at the time of writing) played twice since qualifying for the finals, overcoming Brazil 2-1 and Colombia 3-1. Deschamps deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation in both matches, experimenting with different personnel in defence and attack.
Les Bleus were a touch lucky to edge past Carlo Ancelotti’s side, given that they were outshot 17 to seven and were reduced to 10 men when Dayot Upamecano ($5.3m) was sent off. Brazil’s xG was 1.69 to France’s 0.99.
The Colombia clash was also a close-run contest, with France enjoying 14 shots to Colombia’s 13. Both sides had five shots on target, with Colombia’s xG marginally better than France’s (1.53 to 1.52).
Ruthless finishing was the difference on both occasions.
Mbappe, who scored against Brazil, is one goal off France’s all-time record with 56 goals from 95 appearances, while Desire Doue ($7.5m), who scored twice against Colombia, is emerging as one of the best young forwards in Europe.
TOP FANTASY PICKS
You don’t need us to tell you that Kylian Mbappe ($10.5m) is one of the best strikers in world football. Although Real Madrid had a disappointing season, Mbappe still scored 42 goals in 44 matches for the Spanish club in all competitions, including 15 Champions League strikes.
His World Cup record is even more impressive. The 27-year-old has 12 tournament goals to his name, and has Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 in his sights.
If France go the distance, Mbappe is also the man for the big occasion. He has scored more goals in World Cup finals (four) than any player, including a hat-trick last time out, and could be the first player to score in three finals.
Mbappe is expensive but he’s on penalties, frequently gets 90 minutes in competitive France matches, and has so many quality players able to provide goalscoring chances for him. With the Round 2 Iraq match in mind, many Fantasy managers will be starting with him in their sides.
Michael Olise ($9.5m) has all the tools to light up his first World Cup, too. He has been sensational for Bayern Munich this season, producing 22 goals and 31 assists in all competitions.
While there is extreme competition for the three places behind France’s No 9, it is difficult to see Deschamps overlooking Olise. He featured heavily in qualifying (no French midfielder/striker saw more minutes) and was Les Bleus’ set-piece-taking creator in chief.
Remember, midfielders get rewards for key passes (+1 point for every two) in World Cup Fantasy.
Such is France’s quality in depth that it is difficult to pin down which other attacking players will get the nod for the finals. Ousmane Dembele ($10.0m) and Desire Doue ($7.5m) barely featured in qualifying, but the quality of these two players, who recently won their second successive Champions League winners’ medals, is unquestioned. To that end, it’s important to keep an eye on who plays in the final warm-up matches as they are likely to reveal Deschamps’ preferences.
Deschamps likes his full-backs to push on, so Theo Hernandez ($5.0m) and Lucas Digne ($5.0m) are attractive-on-paper options. However, they’re competing for one spot, so they’re probably best left alone at present. We’re also waiting to see whether William Saliba ($5.3m) is going to be fit enough to feature at centre-half.
So, Jules Kounde ($5.4m) is probably the most secure route into Les Bleus’ backline from Round 1. He scored three goals and delivered four assists in league and cup for Barcelona last season. However, he’s never delivered an attacking return for France and he’s over 5% owned (ergo no Scouting Bonus) – so there’s limited upside.
There’s an argument that there is better defensive value elsewhere in the group stages.
