France Predicted World Cup Lineup for 2026 WC

With the final 26-man squad now official, it is time to look ahead to the France predicted World Cup lineup for the 2026 instalment. There are some similar names from their run to the final four ago while other positions are sure to change. Let’s dive into the selected squad and figure out who is most likely to start and in what setup.

France Predicted World Cup Lineup for US/Can/Mex 2026

Goalkeeper

While there is some competition between Brice Samba and Mike Maignan talent-wise, Didier Deschamps has been loyal to the latter, giving him his debut for the national team at senior level. The AC Milan stopper started through the qualifying campaign and will likely end up as the starter.

Defenders

The left-back position is shared between Lucas Digne and Theo Hernandez. Currently, it would appear that Digne has been given the nod but it could see some rotation throughout the tournament.

The centre back spots have three strong options to share the two positions among them. William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, and Ibrahima Konate are all elite options with Upamecano being the only guaranteed starter, the other two shared starts in the qualification group depending on fitness.

Jules Kounde is the primary option on the right side of the back line. While Malo Gusto does get some play time, Kounde is preferred by the national team coach.

The Pivot

The biggest problem area for the French manager has been settling on a duo to base his midfield on. There have been as many pairings tried as matches in the qualification stage with the only positive being a number of those who started not being in the squad which narrows this down a little.

N’Golo Kante was brought back in from the cold and could be the main starter with either Warren Zaire-Emery or Manu Kone as his partner. Aurelien Tchouameni has only started one of the last six national team fixtures so he seems to be out of favour.

Attackers

Another area of the pitch where there isn’t a clear four due to the sheer talent levels available. Injuries during international breaks and form have meant that Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Rayan Cherki, Bradley Barcola, Michael Olise, Marcus Thuram, and Jean-Phillipe Mateta have all played up top.

If the manager is choosing his strongest available then the Brazil friendly likely gives us the best indication of what the attack will look like of Mbappe, Olise and Dembele with the injured Hugo Ekitike replaced by the in-form Cherki.