2022 FIFA World Cup | Group D: In form Benzema gives potent France chance of back-to-back crowns

Factfile on France, Tunisia, Australia and Denmark who are in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Group D.

FRANCE

Best World Cup performance: Winners in 1998 and 2018

Other honours: European Championship winners in 1984 and 2000; FIFA Confederations Cup winners 2001, 2003; UEFA Nations League winners 2021

FIFA ranking: 4

Main clubs: Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Lyon, Monaco, Rennes, Nice, Lille

How they qualified: Finished first in European qualifying Group D

Coach

Didier Deschamps, 54, is one of only three men to have won the World Cup as a player and a coach.

He followed in the footsteps of Brazil's Mario Zagallo and West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer as he captained France to victory as hosts in 1998 and then coached them to glory four years ago in Russia.

As a midfielder, Deschamps also won Euro 2000 with his country and was a Champions League winner with Marseille and Juventus.

He was just 32 when he retired from playing and as a coach he took Monaco to a Champions League final and won Ligue 1 with Marseille before succeeding Laurent Blanc as France boss in 2012.

Deschamps also took Les Bleus to the last eight in Brazil in 2014 and the Euro 2016 final. They had a poor Euro 2020 but bounced back to win last year's UEFA Nations League. 

Key player

Karim Benzema is enjoying a remarkable twilight to his career. He will turn 35 the day after the World Cup final but he goes to Qatar fresh from winning the Ballon d'Or as recognition for his magnificent performances in captaining Real Madrid to glory in La Liga and the Champions League last season.

Benzema was frozen out of the France team for five and a half years -- missing the 2018 World Cup win -- due to his role in a blackmail scandal involving a sextape and his international teammate