France
The world's number one ranked side and two-time world champions enter as one of the tournament's joint-favourites. France's depth across every position is unmatched — their bench could beat most teams' starting elevens. Mbappé now captains the side and leads with a maturity that his earliest tournaments hinted at. Deschamps has mastered tournament-winning pragmatism.
At a Glance
Key Players
Coach: Didier Deschamps
Tactical Analysis
Deschamps favours pragmatic 4-2-3-1 structures with disciplined defensive shape and rapid, devastating transitions. Mbappé thrives on the counter-attack at his best; Griezmann orchestrates from the second line with intelligent link-up play.
Betting Angle
France frequently cover handicap markets — their squad depth means they rarely lose heavily even on off days, and they can find goals in multiple ways.
Did You Know?
- France won the 1998 World Cup on home soil and retained in 2018 — only Italy and Brazil have done so in the modern era.
- Kylian Mbappé has scored in every World Cup he has participated in, a record unlikely to be matched.
- No European team has won a World Cup held in the Americas — France will attempt to be the first.