France lost. Let's just get that out of the way.
The image of Kylian Mbappé sitting on the grass in Lusail, staring into the middle distance while Lionel Messi celebrated a few yards away, is basically burned into the collective memory of every soccer fan. It was a 3-3 thriller that felt more like a movie than a game. But if you think the World Cup France team is on some kind of "revenge tour" or downward slide, you haven't been paying attention to what Didier Deschamps has been building since that night in Qatar.
Honestly, the scary part isn't that they almost won back-to-back titles. It's that they’ve actually gotten deeper since then.
The Mbappé Era (with a Captain’s Armband)
When Hugo Lloris retired from international duty, there was this brief, hushed debate about who should lead. Antoine Griezmann was the loyal soldier. Mbappé was the superstar. In the end, Deschamps went with the guy who scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final and still looked like he wanted to fight the entire stadium.
Kylian Mbappé isn't just a player for the World Cup France team anymore; he’s the undisputed sun that everything else orbits. Since taking the captaincy in 2023, his stats have remained ridiculous. We're talking about a guy who, by age 25, was already breathing down the necks of legends like Thierry Henry and Olivier Giroud on the all-time scoring charts.
But being captain changed him. You see it in the way he tracks back—well, sometimes—and how he talks to the younger kids like Warren Zaïre-Emery. He knows the window for his second trophy is wide open.
📖 Related: The Eagles and Chiefs Score That Changed Everything for Philadelphia and Kansas City
Deschamps and the 2026 Finish Line
Didier Deschamps is a survivor. People have been trying to replace him with Zinedine Zidane for years. Yet, here he is, having extended his contract through the 2026 World Cup in North America.
He’s already the longest-serving coach in French history.
Recently, Deschamps confirmed that 2026 will be his final act. He’s done 12 years. By the time the next tournament kicks off, it’ll be 14. That kind of stability is unheard of in international soccer. Think about England or Brazil; they change identities like they change socks. France just keeps winning. Under Deschamps, they’ve reached three of the last four major finals. That's not luck. It's a factory.
The New Guard: Who’s Actually Starting?
If you haven't looked at the roster lately, some names might surprise you. The old guard—the Pogba/Kanté/Varane spine—is effectively gone or relegated to "emergency" status.
The Midfield Rebuild
The World Cup France team now relies on the Real Madrid duo of Eduardo Camavinga and Aurélien Tchouaméni. It’s a cheat code. You have two guys who play together every week at the highest club level, bringing that chemistry to the national team. Then you add Warren Zaïre-Emery, the PSG prodigy who looks like he’s 30 years old when he’s actually barely old enough to drive in some countries.
👉 See also: The Detroit Lions Game Recap That Proves This Team Is Different
Defensive Walls
William Saliba has finally become the "untouchable" center-back everyone in London knew he was. Pairing him with Dayot Upamecano or Ibrahima Konaté gives France a backline that is physically dominant and absurdly fast.
The Attack
Griezmann is still the "glue." He’s the most underrated player in French history, period. He plays as a midfielder, a winger, and a defender all in the same 90 minutes. But watch out for Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise. These kids are the reason why guys like Kingsley Coman are starting to sweat about their minutes.
What Most People Get Wrong About France
There’s this myth that France wins because they have the most talent.
That’s only half true. They win because they are comfortable being bored. Deschamps doesn't care about "Joga Bonito." He cares about verticality. He’s perfectly happy letting the other team have 60% possession, waiting for them to make one mistake, and then letting Mbappé or Ousmane Dembélé sprint into 40 yards of open space.
It’s "suffer-ball," and it’s incredibly effective. They don't panic when they're down. We saw it in the 2022 final; they were invisible for 80 minutes, then scored twice in 97 seconds. That psychological resilience is what makes the World Cup France team the favorite every single time they step on the pitch.
✨ Don't miss: The Chicago Bears Hail Mary Disaster: Why Tyrique Stevenson and Bad Luck Changed a Season
Looking Toward the 2026 Qualifiers
France breezed through their qualifying group. They hammered Ukraine 4-0 in late 2025 to seal their spot for the North American tournament. They didn't just qualify; they dominated.
Mike Maignan has proven to be a more than capable successor to Lloris in goal. In fact, many argue he's better with his feet, which adds a new dimension to how they build out from the back. The squad depth is so deep that they could probably field two different teams and both would make the quarter-finals.
Actionable Insights for the Next Tournament
If you’re following the World Cup France team, watch these three specific trends as we head toward the 2026 kickoff:
- The Captaincy Dynamic: Watch how Mbappé handles the pressure of being the "face" of the tournament in the US. The spotlight will be brighter than it was in Qatar.
- The Griezmann Evolution: Antoine isn't getting any younger. If his legs go, France loses their creative hub. Look for Christopher Nkunku or Olise to potentially take over that "number 10" hybrid role.
- Fullback Stability: France usually plays with "converted" center-backs at fullback (like Jules Koundé). If they find a true, elite attacking left-back to complement Theo Hernandez, they become basically unplayable.
France is no longer the team of the future; they are the team of the "now." The heartbreak of 2022 didn't break them. It just gave them a reason to stay angry. And an angry France is usually a trophy-winning France.
Keep an eye on the official FFF announcements for the final 23-man roster as the June friendlies approach. You'll want to see if Deschamps sticks with his veteran favorites or goes full-throttle with the youth movement that's currently tearing up the Champions League. Either way, the road to the trophy goes through Paris.