The French team has officially qualified for the 2026 World Cup after a 4-0 victory over Ukraine. Just 12 hours later, coach Didier Deschamps and his team left for Azerbaijan, with 3 players absent.
Manu Kone is suspended and returned to AS Roma early. Eduardo Camavinga also returned to Real Madrid due to a minor injury, while Kylian Mbappe had to check for an ankle injury.
In the victory over Ukraine, the French captain once again shined with two goals and an assist. This was his sixth consecutive goal for the national team, an impressive feat previously only achieved by Jean-Pierre Papin, who scored in seven consecutive games between September 1990 and October 1991.
Mbappe will have the opportunity to equal or even break this record during the international break next March, when Les Bleus face Brazil, along with Mexico, the US or Croatia.
Mbappe is also getting closer to France's all-time record. With the 54th and 55th goals for Les Bleus, he is only two goals behind Olivier Giroud. If we add 35 assists, Mbappe's total international goal contributions have reached 90 after only 94 caps for the national team.
The victory over Ukraine also marked an important night for France as they continued to affirm their position at the World Cups. This is a tournament where Les Bleus have always been competing fiercely for the championship, with four finalists in the last seven World Cups - an incredible rate.
The French team, the 2018 World Cup champion, will be in North America to participate in the 2026 World Cup - and at the same time, it will be Didier Deschamps' last World Cup as head coach.
Deschamps' achievements at previous World Cups have been very impressive. France reached the quarter-finals in 2014 in Brazil, only suffered a narrow defeat 0-1 against the German champions, won the 2018 title in Russia and unfortunately lost in a penalty shootout in the 2022 final against Argentina by Lionel Messi. This was a match in which Mbappe scored a hat-trick, becoming one of the most memorable performances in the history of the World Cup.
2026 will be Deschamps' last appearance, and he certainly wants to leave in glory. Fortunately, he has an extremely talented and experienced squad. This could be the strongest squad he has ever led, with excellent players in all competitions.
"This is the most talented French team I have ever seen. Not the strongest yet, but the potential is limitless. In all positions, our players play for the world's top clubs.
However, collectively, we are not as strong as the 2018 or 2022 squad. Does the current team have the potential to be the best team? 100%. We have to do it. With quality players like this, we have to be ambitious" - Mbappe shared.
In addition to potential, Les Bleus also have valuable experience: half of the squad called up in November participated in the 2022 final. They have a variety of attack options, from Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki, Bradley Barcola to Maghnes Akliouche. Other strikers such as Christopher Nkunku, Jean- Philippe Mateta, Marcus Thuram and Hugo Ekitike are also making a strong impression.
Ekitike, who scored his first goal for the national team in just five appearances, coordinated well with Mbappe to score against Ukraine. Deschamps appreciated his versatility, energy, physique and technique, along with the desire to win. Although they could not bring all of the above players to the World Cup, Ekitike and Akliouche certainly scored points in Deschamps' eyes with their recent impressive performances.
The current French squad is also very solid in defense, especially thanks to its impressive depth in the center-back position. In addition, the team also possesses youth and abundant energy, with emerging stars trying to affirm their name in the international arena.
