France
Appearances at World Cups
France is one of those few European squads that participated in the first world cup in South America. However, despite multiple appearances in the final part of the tournament, the Frenchmen could win a gold of the world cup only 68 years later. At the World Cup in France in 1998, the host didn't leave any doubt about the winner, and a confident victory over Brazil in the final was an excellent end in this issue. The Frenchmen haven't missed any world cup since then, and 2006 was remembered for Zidan's header in the final against Italy.
Despite the first place in the group and a confident qualification in numbers, the qualification stage was a bit unclear for France. On the one hand, Deschamps's players didn't have any serious problems with the main opponents in the fight for a direct ticket to the WC. On the other hand, France complemented black pages of the country's football history with ridiculous draws against the national team of Belarus and Luxemburg (!!!). The loss of points with the latter generated a pile of jokes and memes, which a bit shook the team up. And France didn't make any mistakes in other group stage matches.
year | G | W | D | L | М | ИТОГ |
1930 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4-3 | 3 rd in group |
1934 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2-3 | 1/8 |
1938 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4-4 | 1/4 |
1954 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3-3 | 3 rd in group |
1958 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 23-15 | 3 |
1966 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2-5 | 4 th in group |
1978 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5-5 | 3 rd in group |
1982 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 16-12 | 1/2 |
1986 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 12-6 | 3 |
1998 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 15-2 | 1 |
2002 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0-3 | 4 th in group |
2006 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 9-3 | 2 |
2010 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1-4 | 4 th in group |
2014 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10-3 | 1/4 |
total | 59 | 28 | 12 | 19 | 106-69 | — |
Head coach and best player
The name of the coach of the current national team of France is inextricably linked with the era when the Tri-Colour Team became world and European champions at the first attempt. Now Deschamps will have to make something as a coach. And it seems there are certain difficulties with it. The deficit of a leader like Zinedine Zidan in the past is felt in the country where 3-4 equal teams can be made up of names. However, despite this, the Frenchmen look at the upcoming world cup in Russia with optimism linking their hopes with the coaching staff more that will need to unite the collective of stars and prepare them for decisive fights.
Meanwhile, several players at once can be called among those players whose game is expected more this summer. First of all, it's Manchester United Paul Pogba who has huge importance in actions in the midfield. In the attack, much will turn on forward from Atlético Madrid Antoine Griezmann whose goals are to become support in the fight for the long-awaited trophy. Chores in the defence will be on N'Golo Kanté's shoulders, who is an important part of the current squad in itself.
- Preliminary squad: Lloris – Sidibé, Varane, Umtiti, Kurzawa – Pogba, Kanté, Matuidi – Mbappé, Giroud, Griezmann.
Base camp and cities
While choosing a base camp during their stay in Russia, the national team of France chose a sports complex in Istra near Moscow. However, Deschamps's players will play only the last group stage match against Denmark in Moscow. Earlier, the Frenchmen will have to fly to Kazan for a match against Australia and to Yekaterinburg to play against the team from Peru. Probably these two games will become decisive for France where fans are waiting for big victories from their own squad.