🇫🇷 France at the World Cup 2026

2026 World Cup summary

France opened the knockout route with a 3–0 win over Sweden, beat Paraguay 1–0 in the Round of 16, then saw off Morocco 2–0 in the quarter-finals to reach a third straight World Cup semi-final. They lost that semi-final 2–0 to Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 14, then lost the third-place play-off 6–4 to England in Miami on July 18 to finish fourth.

The knockout branch began with France vs Sweden. Match recaps: Spain 2–0 France (Semi-final, Match 101) and England 6–4 France (Third-place play-off).

Group results and standing

France finished group winner in Group I with 9 points and a +8 goal difference.

Knockout results

Coach & captain

Head coach: Didier Deschamps. The 2018 World Cup winner as manager, Deschamps has now built a second generation of world-class French talent around a core of European club football's best players. Captain: Kylian Mbappé — the most dangerous forward in the competition and the player most likely to win the Golden Boot.

How they qualified

France qualified through UEFA European qualifying, winning their group comfortably. The campaign confirmed what was already clear: this squad has extraordinary depth, with multiple elite players competing for starting positions across every line.

Group stage summary

France were the most impressive team in the group stage. They won Group I with a perfect nine points and a +8 goal difference — the best record of any group winner in this tournament. Three wins from three, the most goals scored of any group winner, and a defensive record that barely came under any pressure. They entered the Round of 32 against Sweden as the overwhelming favourites not just for that match but for the tournament as a whole.

Key players

• Kylian Mbappé (forward) — the tournament's defining player. His combination of pace, technique, and finishing makes him almost impossible to contain when he gets into space. The captain sets the tone for everything France do in attack.
• Antoine Griezmann (attacking midfielder) — France's creative link between midfield and attack. His movement, intelligence, and ability to score and create in tight spaces makes him the engine behind Mbappé's running.

World Cup history

France won the World Cup in 1998 on home soil, then reached the final in 2006 before losing to Italy on penalties. They won again in 2018 in Russia — their second title — and were runners-up in 2022, losing to Argentina on penalties in one of the greatest finals in the tournament's history. In 2026 they reached a third straight semi-final but finished fourth after defeats to Spain and England.

Bracket path

France's knockout route started against Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 30 and ended with a 2–0 semi-final defeat to Spain in Dallas followed by a 6–4 third-place play-off defeat to England in Miami. The full bracket is visible on the bracket visualiser.