France national football team

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France national football team
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Les Bleus (The Blues)
Association Fédération Française de Football (FFF)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Didier Deschamps
Captain Hugo Lloris
Most caps Hugo Lloris (145)
Top scorer Olivier Giroud (53)
Home stadium Stade de France
FIFA code FRA
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:SportsRankings/data/FIFA World Rankings' not found.
Highest 1 (May 2001 – May 2002, August – September 2018)
Lowest 26 (September 2010)
First international
 Belgium 3–3 France [[File:{{{flag alias-1794}}}|23x15px|border |alt=|link=]]
(Uccle, Belgium; 1 May 1904)
World Cup
Appearances 16 (First in 1930)
Best result Champions (1998, 2018)
European Championship
Appearances 10 (First in 1960)
Best result Champions (1984, 2000)
Nations League Finals
Appearances 1 (First in 2021)
Best result Champions (2021)
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Appearances 1 (First in 1985)
Best result Champions (1985)
Confederations Cup
Appearances 2 (First in 2001)
Best result Champions (2001, 2003)
Website fff.fr

The France national football team (French: Équipe de France de football) represents France in men's international football matches. It is governed by the French Football Federation (FFF; Fédération française de football), the governing body for football in France. It is a member of UEFA in Europe and FIFA in global competitions. The team's colors and imagery reference two national symbols: the French red-white-blue tricolour and Gallic rooster (coq gaulois). They are colloquially known as Les Bleus (The Blues). France plays their home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis and maintain their national training facility, INF Clairefontaine, in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines.

Founded in 1904, the team has won two FIFA World Cups, two UEFA European Championships, two FIFA Confederations Cups, one CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions and one UEFA Nations League title. France experienced much of its success in three different eras: in the 1980s, from the 1990s to early-2000s as well as the late-2010s, respectively, which resulted in numerous major honours. France was one of the four European teams that participated in the first World Cup in 1930. Twenty-eight years later, the team, led by Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine, finished in third place at the 1958 World Cup. In 1984, under the leadership of the three-time Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini, France won Euro 1984 (its first official title), a CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup (1985) and reached another two World Cup semi-finals (1982 and 1986).

During the captaincy of Didier Deschamps, and with Zinedine Zidane on the pitch, Les Bleus won the World Cup in 1998 and triumphed at Euro 2000. They also won the Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003. Three years later, France made it to the final of the 2006 World Cup, losing 5–3 on penalties to Italy. A decade later, the team reached the final of Euro 2016, where they lost 1–0 to Portugal in extra time. Two years later, France won the 2018 World Cup, its second title in that competition. They became the first European national team to have won every senior FIFA and UEFA competition after winning the 2021 Nations League.[1][2] France has footballing rivalries with Argentina,[3] Brazil,[4] Croatia,[5] England,[6] Germany,[7] Italy,[8] Portugal,[9] and Spain.[10]

History

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USFSA France team (or Club Français) at 1900 Summer Olympics

The France national football team was created in 1904 around the time of FIFA's foundation on 21 May 1904[11] and contested its first official international match on 1 May 1904 against Belgium in Brussels, which ended in a 3–3 draw.[12] The following year, on 12 February 1905, France contested their first-ever home match against Switzerland. The match was played at the Parc des Princes in front of 500 supporters. France won the match 1–0 with the only goal coming from Gaston Cyprès. Due to disagreements between FIFA and the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA), the country's sports union, France struggled to establish an identity. On 9 May 1908, the French Interfederal Committee (CFI), a rival organization to the USFSA, ruled that FIFA would now be responsible for the club's appearances in forthcoming Olympic Games and not the USFSA. In 1919, the CFI transformed themselves into the French Football Federation (FFF). In 1921, the USFSA finally merged with the FFF.

In July 1930, France appeared in the inaugural FIFA World Cup, held in Uruguay. In their first-ever World Cup match, France defeated Mexico 4–1 at the Estadio Pocitos in Montevideo. Lucien Laurent became notable in the match as he scored not only France's first World Cup goal, but the first goal in World Cup history. Conversely, France also became the first team to not score in a match after losing 1–0 to fellow group stage opponents Argentina. Another loss to Chile resulted in the team bowing out in the group stage. The following year saw the first selection of a black player to the national team. Raoul Diagne, who was of Senegalese descent, earned his first cap on 15 February in a 2–1 defeat to Czechoslovakia. Diagne later played with the team at the 1938 World Cup, alongside Larbi Benbarek, who was one of the first players of North African origin to play for the national team. At the 1934 World Cup, France suffered elimination in the opening round, losing 3–2 to Austria. On the team's return to Paris, they were greeted as heroes by a crowd of over 4,000 supporters. France hosted the 1938 World Cup and reached the quarterfinals, losing 3–1 to defending champions Italy.

Golden Generation composed of players such as Just Fontaine, Raymond Kopa, Jean Vincent, Robert Jonquet, Maryan Wisnieski, Thadée Cisowski, and Armand Penverne. At the 1958 World Cup, France reached the semi-finals losing to Brazil. In the third-place match, France defeated West Germany 6–3 with Fontaine recording four goals, which brought his goal tally in the competition to 13, a World Cup record. The record still stands today. France hosted the inaugural UEFA European Football Championship in 1960 and, for the second straight international tournament, reached the semi-finals. In the round, France faced Yugoslavia and were shocked 5–4 despite being up 4–2 heading into the 75th minute. In the third-place match, France was defeated 2–0 by the Czechoslovakians.

The 1960s and 70s saw France decline significantly playing under several managers and failing to qualify for numerous international tournaments. On 25 April 1964, Henri Guérin was officially installed as the team's first manager. Under Guérin, France failed to qualify for the 1962 World Cup and the 1964 European Nations' Cup. The team did return to major international play following qualification for the 1966 World Cup. The team lost in the group stage portion of the tournament. Guérin was fired following the World Cup. He was replaced by José Arribas and Jean Snella, who worked as caretaker managers in dual roles. The two only lasted four matches and were replaced by former international Just Fontaine, who only lasted two. Louis Dugauguez succeeded Fontaine and following his early struggles in qualification for the 1970 World Cup, was fired and replaced by Georges Boulogne, who could not get the team to the competition. Boulogne was later fired following his failure to qualify for the 1974 World Cup and was replaced by the Romanian Ștefan Kovács, who became the only international manager to ever manage the national team. Kovács also turned out to be a disappointment failing to qualify for the 1974 World Cup and UEFA Euro 1976. After two years in charge, he was sacked and replaced with Michel Hidalgo.

Under Hidalgo, France flourished, mainly due to the accolades of great players like defenders Marius Trésor and Maxime Bossis, striker Dominique Rocheteau and midfielder Michel Platini, who, alongside Jean Tigana, Alain Giresse and Luis Fernández formed the "carré magique" ("Magic Square"), which would haunt opposing defenses beginning at the 1982 World Cup, where France reached the semi-finals losing on penalties to rivals West Germany. The semi-final match-up is considered one of the greatest matches in World Cup history and was marred with controversy.[13] France earned their first major international honor two years later, winning Euro 1984, which they hosted. Under the leadership of Platini, who scored a tournament-high nine goals, France defeated Spain 2–0 in the final. Platini and Bruno Bellone scored the goals. Following the Euro triumph, Hidalgo departed the team and was replaced by former international Henri Michel. France later completed the hat-trick when they won gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics football tournament and, a year later, defeated Uruguay 2–0 to win the Artemio Franchi Trophy, an early precursor to the FIFA Confederations Cup. Dominique Rocheteau and José Touré scored the goals. In a span of a year, France were holders of three of the four major international trophies. At the 1986 World Cup, France were favorites to win the competition, and, for the second consecutive World Cup, reached the semi-finals where they faced West Germany. Again, however, they lost. A 4–2 victory over Belgium gave France third place.

In 1988, the FFF opened the Clairefontaine National Football Institute. Its opening ceremony was attended by then-President of France, François Mitterrand. Five months after Clairefontaine's opening, manager Henri Michel was fired and was replaced by Michel Platini, who failed to get the team to the 1990 World Cup. Platini did lead the team to Euro 1992 and, despite going on a 19-match unbeaten streak prior to the competition, suffered elimination in the group stage. A week after the completion of the tournament, Platini stepped down as manager and was replaced by his assistant Gérard Houllier. Under Houllier, France and its supporters experienced a heartbreaking meltdown after having qualification to the 1994 World Cup all but secured with two matches to go, which were against last place Israel and Bulgaria. In the match against Israel, France was upset 3–2 and, in the Bulgaria match, suffered an astronomical 2–1 defeat. The subsequent blame and public outcry to the firing of Houllier and departure of several players from the national team fold. His assistant Aimé Jacquet was given his post.

France starting line-up against Brazil at the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final, a match they won 3–0.

Under Jacquet, the national team experienced its triumphant years. The squad composed of veterans that failed to reach the 1994 FIFA World Cup were joined by influential youngsters, such as Zinedine Zidane. The team started off well reaching the semi-finals of Euro 1996, where they lost 6–5 on penalties to the Czech Republic. In the team's next major tournament at the 1998 World Cup at home, Jacquet led France to glory defeating Brazil 3–0 in the final at the Stade de France in Paris. Jacquet stepped down after the country's World Cup triumph and was succeeded by assistant Roger Lemerre who guided them through Euro 2000. Led by FIFA World Player of the Year Zidane, France defeated Italy 2–1 in the final. David Trezeguet scored the golden goal in extra time. The victory gave the team the distinction of being the first national team to hold both the World Cup and Euro titles since West Germany did so in 1974, and it was also the first time that a reigning World Cup winner went on to capture the Euro. Following the result, the France national team was inserted to the number one spot in the FIFA World Rankings.

Zinedine Zidane captaining France at the 2006 FIFA World Cup

France failed to maintain that pace in subsequent tournaments. Although, the team won the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, France suffered a first-round elimination at the 2002 World Cup. One of the greatest shocks in World Cup history saw France condemned to a 1–0 defeat to debutantes Senegal in the opening game of the tournament. France became the second nation to be eliminated in the first-round while holding the World Cup crown, the first one being Brazil in 1966. After the 2010, 2014, and 2018 World Cups, Italy, Spain, and Germany were also added to this list.[14] After France finished bottom of the group, Lemerre was dismissed and was replaced by Jacques Santini. A full-strength team started out strongly at Euro 2004, but they were upset in the quarter-finals by the eventual winners Greece. Santini resigned as coach and Raymond Domenech was picked as his replacement. France struggled in the early qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup. This prompted Domenech to persuade several past members out of international retirement to help the national team qualify, which they accomplished following a convincing 4–0 win over Cyprus on the final day of qualifying. In the 2006 World Cup final stages, France finished undefeated in the group stage portion and advanced to the final defeating the likes of Spain, Brazil, and Portugal en route. France played Italy in the final and, in part down to controversial disruptions in extra time that lead to captain Zinedine Zidane being sent off, failed to find a winning goal, Italy winning 5–3 on penalties to be crowned World Cup champions.

File:France national football team 2006.JPG
The French team in front of fans in 2006.

France started its qualifying round for Euro 2008 strong and qualified for the tournament, despite two defeats to Scotland. France bowed out during the group stage portion of the tournament after having been placed in the group of death (which included Netherlands and Italy).[15][16] Just like the team's previous World Cup qualifying campaign, the 2010 campaign got off to a disappointing start with France suffering disastrous losses and earning uninspired victories. France eventually finished second in the group and earned a spot in the UEFA play-offs against the Republic of Ireland for a place in South Africa. In the first leg, France defeated the Irish 1–0 and in the second leg procured a 1–1 draw, via controversial circumstances, to qualify for the World Cup.[17]

In the 2010 World Cup final stages, the team continued to perform under expectations and were eliminated in the group stage, while the negative publicity the national team received during the competition led to further repercussions back in France. Midway through the competition, striker Nicolas Anelka was dismissed from the national team after reportedly having a dispute, in which obscenities were passed, with team manager Raymond Domenech during half-time of the team's loss to Mexico.[18][19] The resulting disagreement over Anelka's expulsion between the players, the coaching staff and FFF officials resulted in the players boycotting training before their third game.[20][21][22] In response to the training boycott, Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot lectured the players and "reduced France's disgraced World Cup stars to tears with an emotional speech on the eve of their final group A match".[23] France then lost their final game 2–1 to the hosts South Africa and failed to advance to the knockout stage. The day after the team's elimination, it was reported by numerous media outlets that then President of France Nicolas Sarkozy would meet with team captain Thierry Henry to discuss the issues associated with the team's meltdown at the World Cup, at Henry's request.[24] Following the completion of the World Cup tournament, Federation President Jean-Pierre Escalettes resigned from his position.

Domenech, whose contract had expired, was succeeded as head coach by former international Laurent Blanc. On 23 July 2010, at the request of Blanc, the FFF suspended all 23 players in the World Cup squad for the team's friendly match against Norway after the World Cup.[25] On 6 August, five players who were deemed to have played a major role in the training boycott were disciplined for their roles.[26][27]

File:Lloris 2018 (cropped).jpg
After captaining France intermittently since 2010, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has been the French captain permanently since February 2012.

At Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, France reached the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by eventual champions Spain.[28][29] Following the tournament, coach Laurent Blanc resigned and was succeeded by Didier Deschamps, who captained France to glory in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.[30][31] His team qualified for the 2014 World Cup by beating Ukraine in the playoffs, and Deschamps then extended his contract until Euro 2016.[32] Missing star midfielder Franck Ribéry through injury,[33] France lost to eventual champions Germany in the quarter-finals courtesy of an early goal by Mats Hummels.[34] Paul Pogba was awarded the Best Young Player award during the tournament.[35]

France automatically qualified as hosts for Euro 2016.[36] Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa were not in the squad.[37][38] France were drawn in Group A of the tournament alongside Romania, Switzerland and Albania.[39] France won their group with wins over Romania and Albania and a goalless draw against Switzerland and were poised to play the Republic of Ireland in the round of sixteen.[40] Ireland took the lead after just two minutes through a controversially awarded penalty, which was converted by Robbie Brady. A brace from Antoine Griezmann, however, helped France to win the match 2–1 and qualify for the quarter-finals, where they beat a resilient Iceland 5–2 to set up a semi-final clash against world champions and tournament co-favourites Germany.[41][42][43] France won the match 2–0, marking their first win over Germany at a major tournament since 1958.[44][45] France, however, were beaten by Portugal 1–0 in the final courtesy of an extra-time goal by Eder. Griezmann was named the Player of the Tournament and was also awarded the Golden Boot in addition to being named in the Team of the Tournament, alongside Dimitri Payet. The defeat meant that France became the second nation to have lost the final on home soil, after Portugal lost the final to Greece in 2004.[46][47][48][49][50]

France starting line-up against Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final, a match they won 4–2.

In 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, France topped their group with 23 points; winning 7 wins, drawing 2 and losing once,[51] although their two draws were against considerably weaker nations, drawing 0–0 with Belarus in their opening match[52] and against Luxembourg, failing to secure a win against the latter for the first time since 1914, nearly 103 years.[53] Their only defeat of the qualifying phase was against Sweden; losing 2–1 in the last few minutes following an error from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.[54] France secured qualification to the World Cup finals with a 2–1 win over Belarus after atomizing the Netherlands 4 to 0 at home a few weeks earlier.[55] They were drawn to play Australia, Peru and Denmark in a group in which they were considered heavy favourites.[56][57] Overall, due to the strength and value of their squad, France were tipped by many as one of the favourites for the title.[58][59][60] France, however, had a somewhat disappointing performance in the group stage, only managing a 2–1 win over Australia and a 1–0 win over Peru, followed by a match against Denmark which finished in a 0–0 draw.[61][62][63][64] France beat Argentina 4–3 in the round of sixteen and then Uruguay 2–0 to qualify for the semi-final stage, where they beat Belgium 1–0 courtesy of a goal from defender Samuel Umtiti.[65][66] France approached this semi-final in a diametrically opposed way to Japan in the round of 16 against these same Belgians: Les Bleus played low block to not leave any space to the Belgians and in counter-attack, this defensive approach was successful unlike Japan's overly offensive and open game (which led to the three Belgian goals while Japan was leading 2–0), even if this led to criticism from some Belgian players who felt they were better than France.[67] On 15 July, France beat Croatia in the final with result 4–2 to win the World Cup for the second time.[68] Didier Deschamps became the third man to win the World Cup as a player and a coach and also became the second man to win the title as a captain and a coach.[69] Kylian Mbappé was awarded the Best Young Player award and Antoine Griezmann was awarded the Bronze Ball and the Silver Boot for their performance during the tournament.[70] Upon scoring in the final, Mbappé became only the second teenager to score in a World Cup Final, the last being Pelé in 1958.

Home stadium

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During France's early years, the team's national stadium alternated between the Parc des Princes in Paris and the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes. France also hosted matches at the Stade Pershing, Stade de Paris, and the Stade Buffalo, but to a minimal degree. As the years moved forward, France began hosting matches outside the city of Paris at such venues as the Stade Marcel Saupin in Nantes, the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, and the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg.

Following the renovation of the Parc des Princes in 1972, which gave the stadium the largest capacity in Paris, France moved into the venue permanently. The team still hosted friendly matches and minor FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championship qualification matches at other venues. Twice France have played home matches in a French overseas department – in 2005 against Costa Rica in Fort-de-France (Martinique) and in 2010 against China in Saint Pierre (Réunion). Both matches were friendlies.

In 1998, the Stade de France was inaugurated as France's national stadium ahead of the 1998 World Cup. Located in Saint-Denis, a Parisian suburb, the stadium has an all-seater capacity of 81,338. France's first match at the stadium was played on 28 January 1998 against Spain. France won the match 1–0, with Zinedine Zidane scoring the lone goal. Since that match, France has used the stadium for almost every major home game, including the 1998 World Cup final.

Prior to matches, home or away, the national team trains at the INF Clairefontaine academy in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines. Clairefontaine is the national association football centre and is among 12 élite academies throughout the country. The centre was inaugurated in 1976 by former FFF president Fernand Sastre and opened in 1988. The center drew media spotlight following its usage as a base camp by the team that won the 1998 World Cup.

In the 20th and 23rd minute of an international friendly on 13 November 2015, against Germany, three groups of terrorists attempted to detonate bomb vests, at three entrances of Stade de France, and two explosions occurred. Play would continue, until the 94th minute, in order to keep the crowd from panicking. Consequently, the stadium was evacuated through the unaffected gates of the stadium away from the players benches. Due to the blocked exits, spectators who could not leave the stadium had to go down to the pitch and wait until it was safer.

Team image

Media coverage

The national team has a broadcasting agreement with TF1 Group, who the Federal Council of the FFF agreed to extend its exclusive broadcasting agreement with the channel. The new deal grants the channel exclusive broadcast rights for the matches of national team, which include friendlies and international games for the next four seasons beginning in August 2010 and ending in June 2014. TF1 will also have extended rights, notably on the Internet, and may also broadcast images of the national team in its weekly program, Téléfoot.[71] The FFF will receive €45 million a season, a €10 million decrease from the €55 million they received from the previous agreement reached in 2006.[72]

After France won their second World Cup in 2018, M6 together with TF1 broadcast all international fixtures featuring France respectively until 2022.[73]

Kits and crest

File:France national football 1904.jpg
France team that played its first international v Belgium in 1904, wearing the white shirt with the rings emblem

The France national team utilizes a three colour system composed of blue, white, and red. The team's three colours originate from the national flag of France, known as the tricolore. Nevertheless, the first France shirt (as seen in their first official international match against Belgium in 1904) was white, with the two interlinked rings emblem of USFSA –the body that controlled sport in France by then–[74] on the left.[75]

France normally wear blue shirts, white shorts, and red socks at home (similar setup to Japan), while, when on the road, the team utilizes an all-white combination or wear red shirts, blue shorts, and blue socks with the former being the most current. Between 1909 and 1914, France wore a white shirt with blue stripes, white shorts, and red socks. In a 1978 World Cup match against Hungary in Mar del Plata, both teams arrived at Estadio José María Minella with white kits, so France played in green-and-white striped shirts borrowed from Club Atlético Kimberley.[76]

File:Zidane-France-2006-home-shirt.jpg
France's Zinedine Zidane number 10 home shirt, as made by Adidas

Beginning in 1966, France had its shirts made by Le Coq Sportif until 1971. In 1972, France reached an agreement with German sports apparel manufacturer Adidas to be the team's kit provider. Over the next 38 years, the two would maintain a healthy relationship with France winning Euro 1984, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 while wearing Adidas' famous tricolour three stripes. During the 2006 World Cup, France wore an all-white change strip in all four of its knockout matches, including the final.[77] On 22 February 2008, the FFF announced that they were ending their partnership with Adidas and signing with Nike, effective 1 January 2011. The unprecedented deal was valued at €320 million over seven years (1 January 2011 – 9 July 2018), making France's blue shirt the most expensive ever in the history of football.[78][79]

File:Maillots de la France à l'Euro 2016.jpg
Nike-made France merchandise on display for UEFA Euro 2016

The first France kit worn in a major tournament produced by Nike was the Euro 2012 strip, which was all dark blue and used gold as an accent colour.[80] In February 2013, Nike revealed an all baby blue change strip.

In advance of France's hosting of Euro 2016, Nike unveiled a new, unconventional kit set: blue shirts and shorts with red socks at home, white shirts and shorts and with blue socks away. The away shirt as worn in pre-Euro friendlies and released to the public also featured one blue sleeve and one red sleeve in reference to the "tricolore". However, due to UEFA regulations, France was forced to wear a modified version with the sleeve colours almost desaturated in their Euro 2016 group stage game against Switzerland, which continued to be worn during 2018 World Cup qualifying.[81]

Kit sponsorship

Kit supplier Period Notes
France Allen Sport 1938–1966[82][83]
France Le Coq Sportif 1966–1971
Germany Adidas 1972–2010
United States Nike 2011–present

Kit deals

Kit supplier Period Contract
announcement
Contract
duration
Value Notes
United States Nike 2011–present
2008-02-22
2011–2018 (7 years) Total 340.8 million
(42.6 million per year)[84]
2016-12-08
2018–2026 (8 years) Total 450 million
(50 million per year)[85]

Nickname

France is often referred to by the media and supporters as Les Bleus (The Blues), which is the nickname associated with all of France's international sporting teams due to the blue shirts each team incorporates. The team is also referred to as Les Tricolores or L'Equipe Tricolore (The Tri-color Team) due to the team's utilization of the country's national colors: blue, white, and red. During the 1980s, France earned the nickname the "Brazilians of Europe" mainly due to the accolades of the "carré magique" ("Magic Square"), who were anchored by Michel Platini. Led by coach Michel Hidalgo, France exhibited an inspiring, elegant, skillful and technically advanced offensive style of football, which was strikingly similar to their South American counterparts.[86] Despite being offence oriented, France's defence is considered one of the best in world for their aggression and technicality. Their defence played a vital role in winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup and had earned them the title of "Mur de fer" ("The Iron Wall").

Results and fixtures

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The following is a list of match results from the previous 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2022

2023

Coaching staff

File:Didier Deschamps in 2018.jpg
Didier Deschamps, the current coach of the France national football team.
As of August 2019.[87]
Position Name
Head coach France Didier Deschamps
Assistant coach France Guy Stéphan
Goalkeeper coach France Franck Raviot
Trainer France Cyril Moine
Doctor France Franck Le Gall
Video analysts France Thierry Marszalek
France Eric Dubray
Osteopath France Jean-Yves Vandewalle
Physiotherapists France Christophe Geoffroy
France Denis Morcel
France Alexandre Germain
France Guillaume Vassout
Team Manager France Philippe Brocherieux
Chef France Xavier Rousseau
Security officer France Mohamed Sanhadji
Steward France Bachir Nehar
Media officer France Raphaël Raymond

Coaching history

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As of 14 December 2022
Managers in italics were hired as caretakers
Manager France career Pld W D L Win %
France Henri Guérin 1964–1966 15 5 4 6 33.3
23x15px José Arribas
France Jean Snella
1966 4 2 0 2 50.0
France Just Fontaine 1967 2 0 0 2 00.0
France Louis Dugauguez 1967–1968 9 2 3 4 22.2
France Georges Boulogne 1969–1973 31 15 5 11 48.4
Romania Ștefan Kovács 1973–1975 15 6 4 5 40.0
France Michel Hidalgo 1976–1984 75 41 16 18 54.7
France Henri Michel 1984–1988 36 16 12 8 44.4
France Michel Platini 1988–1992 29 16 8 5 55.2
France Gérard Houllier 1992–1993 12 7 1 4 58.3
France Aimé Jacquet 1993–1998 53 34 16 3 64.2
France Roger Lemerre 1998–2002 53 34 11 8 64.2
France Jacques Santini 2002–2004 28 22 4 2 78.6
France Raymond Domenech 2004–2010 79 41 24 14 51.9
France Laurent Blanc 2010–2012 27 16 7 4 59.3
France Didier Deschamps 2012–present 138 89 27 22 64.5

Players

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Current squad

On 9 November 2022, Didier Deschamps named 25 players in the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[88] On 14 November, Presnel Kimpembe withdrew from the tournament with an injury and was replaced by Axel Disasi; in addition, Marcus Thuram also received a call up, raising the squad to 26 players.[89][90] Christopher Nkunku withdrew injured on 15 November and was replaced by Randal Kolo Muani.[91][92] Karim Benzema withdrew injured on 19 November, however was not excluded from squad list.[93]

Caps and goals as of 14 December 2022, after the match against Morocco.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Hugo Lloris (captain) (1986-12-26) 26 December 1986 (age 37) 145 0 England Tottenham Hotspur
16 1GK Steve Mandanda (1985-03-28) 28 March 1985 (age 39) 35 0 France Rennes
23 1GK Alphonse Areola (1993-02-27) 27 February 1993 (age 31) 5 0 England West Ham United

2 2DF Benjamin Pavard (1996-03-28) 28 March 1996 (age 28) 47 2 Germany Bayern Munich
3 2DF Axel Disasi (1998-03-11) 11 March 1998 (age 26) 2 0 France Monaco[lower-alpha 1]
4 2DF Raphaël Varane (1993-04-25) 25 April 1993 (age 31) 93 5 England Manchester United
5 2DF Jules Koundé (1998-11-12) 12 November 1998 (age 26) 18 0 Spain Barcelona
17 2DF William Saliba (2001-03-24) 24 March 2001 (age 23) 8 0 England Arsenal
18 2DF Dayot Upamecano (1998-10-27) 27 October 1998 (age 26) 12 1 Germany Bayern Munich
21 2DF Lucas Hernandez (1996-02-14) 14 February 1996 (age 28) 33 0 Germany Bayern Munich
22 2DF Theo Hernandez (1997-10-06) 6 October 1997 (age 27) 13 2 Italy Milan
24 2DF Ibrahima Konaté (1999-05-25) 25 May 1999 (age 25) 6 0 England Liverpool

6 3MF Matteo Guendouzi (1999-04-14) 14 April 1999 (age 25) 7 1 France Marseille
8 3MF Aurélien Tchouaméni (2000-01-27) 27 January 2000 (age 24) 21 2 Spain Real Madrid
13 3MF Youssouf Fofana (1999-01-10) 10 January 1999 (age 25) 7 0 France Monaco
14 3MF Adrien Rabiot (1995-04-03) 3 April 1995 (age 29) 35 3 Italy Juventus
15 3MF Jordan Veretout (1993-03-01) 1 March 1993 (age 31) 6 0 France Marseille
25 3MF Eduardo Camavinga (2002-11-10) 10 November 2002 (age 22) 5 1 Spain Real Madrid

7 4FW Antoine Griezmann (1991-03-21) 21 March 1991 (age 33) 117 42 Spain Atlético Madrid
9 4FW Olivier Giroud (1986-09-30) 30 September 1986 (age 38) 120 53 Italy Milan
10 4FW Kylian Mbappé (1998-12-20) 20 December 1998 (age 26) 66 36 France Paris Saint-Germain
11 4FW Ousmane Dembélé (1997-05-15) 15 May 1997 (age 27) 35 4 Spain Barcelona
12 4FW Randal Kolo Muani (1998-12-05) 5 December 1998 (age 26) 4 1 Germany Eintracht Frankfurt
19 4FW Karim Benzema (1987-12-19) 19 December 1987 (age 37) 97 37 Spain Real Madrid
20 4FW Kingsley Coman (1996-06-13) 13 June 1996 (age 28) 45 5 Germany Bayern Munich
26 4FW Marcus Thuram (1997-08-06) 6 August 1997 (age 27) 8 0 Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the past twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Alban Lafont (1999-01-23) 23 January 1999 (age 25) 0 0 France Nantes v.  Denmark, 25 September 2022
GK Mike Maignan (1995-07-03) 3 July 1995 (age 29) 5 0 Italy Milan v.  Denmark, 25 September 2022 INJ

DF Presnel Kimpembe (1995-08-13) 13 August 1995 (age 29) 28 0 France Paris Saint-Germain 2022 FIFA World Cup INJ
DF Ferland Mendy (1995-06-08) 8 June 1995 (age 29) 9 0 Spain Real Madrid v.  Denmark, 25 September 2022
DF Jonathan Clauss (1992-09-25) 25 September 1992 (age 32) 6 0 France Marseille v.  Denmark, 25 September 2022
DF Benoît Badiashile (2001-03-26) 26 March 2001 (age 23) 2 0 France Monaco[lower-alpha 1] v.  Denmark, 25 September 2022
DF Adrien Truffert (2001-01-20) 20 January 2001 (age 23) 1 0 France Rennes v.  Denmark, 25 September 2022
DF Lucas Digne (1993-07-20) 20 July 1993 (age 31) 46 0 England Aston Villa v.  Austria, 22 September 2022 INJ

MF Boubacar Kamara (1999-11-23) 23 November 1999 (age 25) 3 0 England Aston Villa v.  Austria, 22 September 2022 INJ
MF N'Golo Kanté (1991-03-29) 29 March 1991 (age 33) 53 2 England Chelsea v.  Croatia, 13 June 2022 INJ
MF Paul Pogba (1993-03-15) 15 March 1993 (age 31) 91 11 Italy Juventus v.  South Africa, 29 March 2022

FW Christopher Nkunku (1997-11-14) 14 November 1997 (age 27) 8 0 Germany RB Leipzig 2022 FIFA World Cup INJ
FW Wissam Ben Yedder (1990-08-12) 12 August 1990 (age 34) 19 3 France Monaco[lower-alpha 1] v.  Croatia, 13 June 2022
FW Moussa Diaby (1999-07-07) 7 July 1999 (age 25) 8 0 Germany Bayer Leverkusen v.  Croatia, 13 June 2022

INJ Withdrew due to injury
PRE Preliminary squad
RET Retired from the national team
SUS Serving suspension

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Player of the Year

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Player records

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As of 18 December 2022[94]
Players in bold are still active with France.

Most caps

Hugo Lloris is France's most capped player, with 145 caps.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Hugo Lloris 145 0 2008–present
2 Lilian Thuram 142 2 1994–2008
3 Thierry Henry 123 51 1997–2010
4 Olivier Giroud 120 53 2011–present
5 Antoine Griezmann 117 42 2014–present
6 Marcel Desailly 116 3 1993–2004
7 Zinedine Zidane 108 31 1994–2006
8 Patrick Vieira 107 6 1997–2009
9 Didier Deschamps 103 4 1989–2000
10 Karim Benzema 97 37 2007–present
Laurent Blanc 16 1989–2000
Bixente Lizarazu 2 1992–2004

Most goals

File:Olivier Giroud in 2017 (cropped).jpg
Olivier Giroud is France's top goalscorer, with 53 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Average Career
1 Olivier Giroud (list) 53 120 0.44 2011–present
2 Thierry Henry (list) 51 123 0.41 1997–2010
3 Antoine Griezmann 42 117 0.36 2014–present
4 Michel Platini 41 72 0.57 1976–1987
5 Karim Benzema 37 97 0.38 2007–present
6 Kylian Mbappé 36 66 0.55 2017–present
7 David Trezeguet 34 71 0.48 1998–2008
8 Zinedine Zidane 31 108 0.29 1994–2006
9 Just Fontaine 30 21 1.43 1953–1960
Jean-Pierre Papin 54 0.56 1986–1995

Competitive record

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     Champions       Runners-up       Third place     Tournament played on home soil  

FIFA World Cup

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France was one of the four European teams that participated at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and have appeared in 15 FIFA World Cups, tied for sixth-best. The national team is one of eight national teams to have won at least one FIFA World Cup title. The France team won their first World Cup title in 1998. The tournament was played on home soil and France defeated Brazil 3–0 in the final match.

In 2006, France finished as runners-up losing 5–3 on penalties to Italy. The team has also finished in third place on two occasions in 1958 and 1986 and in fourth place once in 1982. The team's worst results in the competition were first-round eliminations in 2002 and 2010. In 2002, the team suffered an unexpected loss to Senegal and departed the tournament without scoring a goal, while in 2010, a French team torn apart by conflict between the players and staff lost two of three matches and drew the other.[95][96]

In 2014, France advanced to the quarterfinal before losing 1–0 to the eventual champion, Germany.

In 2018, France defeated Croatia 4–2 in the final match and won the World Cup for the second time.[97]

In 2022, France finished runners-up to Argentina, losing 4-2 on penalties.

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UEFA European Championship

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France is one of the most successful nations at the UEFA European Championship having won two titles in 1984 and 2000. The team is just below Spain and Germany who have won three titles each. France hosted the inaugural competition in 1960 and have appeared in nine UEFA European Championship tournaments, tied for fourth-best. The team won their first title on home soil in 1984 and were led by Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini. In 2000, the team, led by FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, won its second title in Belgium and the Netherlands. The team's worst result in the competition was a first-round elimination in 1992 and 2008.

UEFA European Championship record Qualifying record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
France 1960 Fourth place 4th 2 0 0 2 4 7 Squad 4 3 1 0 17 6 1960
23x15px 1964 Did not qualify 6 2 1 3 11 10 1964
Italy 1968 8 4 2 2 16 12 1968
Belgium 1972 6 3 1 2 10 8 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 6 1 3 2 7 6 1976
Italy 1980 6 4 1 1 13 7 1980
France 1984 Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 14 4 Squad Qualified as hosts 1984
West Germany 1988 Did not qualify 8 1 4 3 4 7 1988
Sweden 1992 Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 2 3 Squad 8 8 0 0 20 6 1992
England 1996 Semi-finals 3rd 5 2 3 0 5 2 Squad 10 5 5 0 22 2 1996
Belgium Netherlands 2000 Champions 1st 6 5 0 1 13 7 Squad 10 6 3 1 17 10 2000
Portugal 2004 Quarter-finals 6th 4 2 1 1 7 5 Squad 8 8 0 0 29 2 2004
Austria Switzerland 2008 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 1 6 Squad 12 8 2 2 25 5 2008
Poland Ukraine 2012 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 3 5 Squad 10 6 3 1 15 4 2012
France 2016 Runners-up 2nd 7 5 1 1 13 5 Squad Qualified as hosts 2016
Europe 2020 Round of 16 11th 4 1 3 0 7 6 Squad 10 8 1 1 25 6 2020
Germany 2024 To be determined To be determined 2024
Total 2 titles 10/16 43 21 12 10 69 50 112 67 27 18 231 91
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

UEFA Nations League

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UEFA Nations League record
League phase Finals
Season LG GP Pos Pld W D L GF GA P/R RK Year Pos Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
2018–19 A 1 2nd 4 2 1 1 4 4 Equals-sign-blue.gif 6th Portugal 2019 Did not qualify
2020–21 A 3 1st 6 5 1 0 12 5 Equals-sign-blue.gif 1st Italy 2021 1st 2 2 0 0 5 3 Squad
2022–23 A 1 3rd 6 1 2 3 5 7 Equals-sign-blue.gif 12th Netherlands 2023 Did not qualify
2024–25 A To be determined 23x15px 2025 To be determined
Total 16 8 4 4 21 16 12th Total 2 2 0 0 5 3
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Group stage played home and away. Flag shown represents host nation for the finals stage.

FIFA Confederations Cup

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France have appeared in two of the eight FIFA Confederations Cups contested and won the competition on both appearances. The team's two titles place in second place only trailing Brazil who have won four. France won their first Confederations Cup in 2001 having appeared in the competition as a result of winning the FIFA World Cup in 1998. The team defeated Japan 1–0 in the final match. In the following Confederations Cup in 2003, France, appearing in the competition as the host country, won the competition beating Cameroon 1–0 after extra time.

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
Saudi Arabia 1992 Did not qualify
Saudi Arabia 1995
Saudi Arabia 1997
Mexico 1999
South Korea Japan 2001 Champions 1st 5 4 0 1 12 2 Squad
France 2003 Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 12 3 Squad
Germany 2005 Did not qualify
South Africa 2009
Brazil 2013
Russia 2017
Total 2 titles 2/10 10 9 0 1 24 5

CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions

CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
France 1985 Champions 1st 1 1 0 0 2 0
Argentina 1993 Did not qualify
England 2022
Total 1 title 1/3 1 1 0 0 2 0

Honours

This is a list of honours for the senior France national team
Competition 1st 2nd 3rd Total
FIFA World Cup 2 1 2 5
UEFA European Championship 2 1 1 4
FIFA Confederations Cup 2 0 0 2
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions 1 0 0 1
UEFA Nations League 1 0 0 1
Total 8 2 3 13

See also

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Monaco is a Monégasque club playing in the French football league system.

References

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  74. Origins of the French League Archived 25 July 2017 at the Wayback Machine by François Mazet and Frédéric Pauron on the RSSSF
  75. "Née le 1er mai 1904" on L'Équipe, 23 December 2003, page 7
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External links

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Awards
Preceded by FIFA Team of the Year
2001
Succeeded by
Brazil 

Template:Men's Mediterranean Games Football winners

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