France announce squad for the 2026 World Cup: Mbappe, Dembele, Kante and 23 more players in Deschamps’ list

France head coach Didier Deschamps has announced the final squad of the national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 26-man list includes the players who will represent France at the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

France head into the World Cup as one of the main favourites. Deschamps’ team will play at the World Cup for the 17th time in history and for the eighth consecutive time since 1998. For Deschamps himself, this will be his fourth World Cup as France head coach after the 2014, 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

France squad for the 2026 World Cup

Goalkeepers

Brice Samba — Rennes
Mike Maignan — Milan
Robin Risser — Lens

Defenders

Malo Gusto — Chelsea
Lucas Digne — Aston Villa
Dayot Upamecano — Bayern Munich
William Saliba — Arsenal
Ibrahima Konate — Liverpool
Jules Kounde — Barcelona
Theo Hernandez — Al-Hilal
Lucas Hernandez — PSG
Maxence Lacroix — Crystal Palace

Midfielders

Warren Zaire-Emery — PSG
Aurelien Tchouameni — Real Madrid
N’Golo Kante — Fenerbahce
Adrien Rabiot — Milan
Rayan Cherki — Manchester City
Manu Kone — Roma

Forwards

Ousmane Dembele — PSG
Marcus Thuram — Inter
Kylian Mbappe — Real Madrid
Michael Olise — Bayern Munich
Jean-Philippe Mateta — Crystal Palace
Desire Doue — PSG
Maghnes Akliouche — Monaco
Bradley Barcola — PSG

Key numbers from France’s squad

The 26 players called up for the 2026 World Cup have made a combined 763 appearances for the France national team. That is an average of 29.35 matches per player. At the same time, the squad looks fairly balanced, with both experienced leaders and players from the new generation.

Five players have more than 50 caps for the national team: Lucas Digne, N’Golo Kante, Adrien Rabiot, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe. Another 13 players have made at least 30 appearances for France.

At the same time, eight players have not yet reached 10 appearances for France. They include Robin Risser, Brice Samba, Malo Gusto, Maxence Lacroix, Maghnes Akliouche, Rayan Cherki, Desire Doue and Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Interestingly, the six most experienced players in the squad have made 380 appearances for France between them — almost as many as the other 20 players combined.

Mbappe, Dembele and Kante among the team leaders

France’s squad for the 2026 World Cup includes four 2018 world champions: Lucas Hernandez, N’Golo Kante, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe. They remain an important part of Deschamps’ team and are expected to be the backbone of the squad at the new tournament.

The list also includes players who already have significant experience in major international competitions. Fifteen players from the current squad featured at Euro 2024, 11 played at the 2022 World Cup, and 9 were part of Euro 2020.

The Olympic connection in France’s squad is also worth noting. Six players — Manu Kone, Maghnes Akliouche, Rayan Cherki, Desire Doue, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Michael Olise — are silver medallists from the 2024 Olympic Games.

League representation

Ligue 1 has provided the largest number of players to the France squad — eight in total. They are Robin Risser, Brice Samba, Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaire-Emery, Maghnes Akliouche, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue.

Seven players represent the English Premier League: Lucas Digne, Malo Gusto, Ibrahima Konate, Maxence Lacroix, William Saliba, Rayan Cherki and Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Italy’s Serie A is represented by four players: Mike Maignan, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot and Marcus Thuram. Three players are based in Spain’s La Liga: Jules Kounde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Kylian Mbappe.

Two more players compete in the Bundesliga — Dayot Upamecano and Michael Olise of Bayern Munich. N’Golo Kante represents Turkish club Fenerbahce, while Theo Hernandez plays for Saudi side Al-Hilal.

France to face Senegal, Iraq and Norway

France have been drawn into Group I. In the group stage, Didier Deschamps’ team will face Senegal, Iraq and Norway.

The French team will play their first match on June 16 against Senegal at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. France will then face Iraq in Philadelphia on June 22 before completing the group stage against Norway in Foxborough on June 26.

Before travelling to the United States, France will gather at the national football centre in Clairefontaine on May 29. The team also has two friendly matches scheduled: against Ivory Coast in Nantes on June 4 and against Northern Ireland in Lille on June 8.

Given the depth of the squad, the experience of the leaders and the large number of players from top leagues, France are once again among the main contenders to win the World Cup.