4 Takeaways From France's World Cup Roster Selection

There is a strong and almost undoubted sentiment that France is not only a major contender for the FIFA 2026 World Cup title, but Les Bleus quite simply are the ones to beat. 

In the last two tournaments, France ended as champion (2018) and runner-up (2022) and as Didier Deschamps looks to end his remarkable managerial reign (one of only three managers to win the World Cup as player and manager) this summer, his recently announced 26-man squad is more than prepared to win the third title in its history. 

But he is not getting carried away.

"I have ambition, and I want the players to have it too," said Deschamps in a press conference after making the announcement. "But I don't want us to lose our humility. I'm not going to hide and say we're not among the teams with the potential to become world champions…but there are eight, maybe 10 teams that can say that. It's not by shouting: 'We're the best, we're the strongest.'"

Here are my takeaways on France's World Cup squad:

Eduardo Camavinga and Randal Kolo Muani are staying back. (Getty Images)

Deschamp's level-headedness has made him a successful head coach at the international level and despite my appreciation for his humility, no matter how he paints it, he knows his squad is terrifyingly deep. So much so that some very talented and well-known names failed to make the cut. Will it come back to haunt Deschamps or are the omissions a result of a truly, devastatingly dangerous squad that needed balance, experience and clinical ability in order to go all the way? Time will surely tell.  

France has such a talented player pool that the nation could have filled out two top-tier World Cup squads. Heads were definitely turned when Eduardo Camavinga and Randal Kolo Muani, two