Deschamps' Last Stand: France's 2026 World Cup Squad Predicted
Deschamps' final tournament. Mbappé as captain. Tournament favourites at +600. Our France 26, XI for the Senegal opener, and our scoreline.
Didier Deschamps is leaving after this. He's said so. The man who won the World Cup as a player in 1998, then again as a manager in 2018, is walking out the door when July is done. His final job: win a third World Cup, hand the trophy to Mbappé, and exit stage left like nothing he does is ever supposed to look difficult.
France are the favourites. The squad is as good as it's ever been. Here's who Deschamps should take — and who starts against Senegal.
Goalkeeper: Maignan Is The Decision
It isn't Lloris anymore. That era is finished. Mike Maignan is one of the best goalkeepers in the world — aggressive off his line, commanding, vocal, and he adds to the press rather than hiding behind it. He played the second half of the 2022 World Cup run through injury and nobody talked about it enough.
Maignan starts. Areola and Samba travel as backup. This is settled.
The Defensive Core Is Better Than 2022's
Say that again because it's a bold take: France's back four going into this tournament is better than the one that reached the 2022 final.
William Saliba is a different level of centre-back to what France had two years ago. He reads the game early, wins everything in the air, and rarely makes the kind of mistake that costs a goal at international level. He partners Ibrahima Konaté, who has the physicality to match the world's best strikers. Upamecano is the third option — that alone tells you how good the competition is.
Theo Hernandez at left-back is a threat going forward. His brother Lucas is the cover. Koundé at right-back.
This is a back four with genuine quality at every position. It was a weakness in 2022. It is not a weakness now.
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Aurélien Tchouaméni is the base of midfield. He does what Kanté used to do — disrupts, recovers, links — without the same burst, but with better distribution. He anchors everything.
Camavinga offers energy and the ability to press relentlessly. Tchouaméni at the base while C