France national football team

France

Nickname(s)	Les Bleus (The Blues)
Association	Fédération Française de Football (FFF)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Didier Deschamps
Captain	Hugo Lloris
Most caps	Lilian Thuram (142)
Top scorer	Thierry Henry ()
Home stadium	Stade de France
FIFA code	FRA
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	4 1 (16 September 2021)[1]
Highest	1 (May 2001 – May 2002, August – September 2018)
Lowest	26 (September 2010)
First international
Belgium 3–3 France  (Brussels, Belgium; 1 May 1904)
Biggest win
France 10–0 Azerbaijan  (Auxerre, France; 6 September 1995)
Biggest defeat
Denmark 17–1 France  (London, England; 22 October 1908)
World Cup
Appearances	15 (first in 1930)
Best result	Champions (1998, 2018)
European Championship
Appearances	10 (first in 1960)
Best result	Champions (1984, 2000)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances	2 (first in 2001)
Best result	Champions (2001, 2003)
show Medal record Men's football FIFA World Cup 1958 Sweden Team 1986 Mexico Team 1998 France Team 2006 Germany Team 2018 Russia Team UEFA European Championship 1984 France Team 2000 Belgium–Netherlands Team 2016 France Team FIFA Confederations Cup 2001 South Korea–Japan Team 2003 France Team

The France national football team (French: Équipe de France de football) represents France in men's international football and is controlled by the French Football Federation, also known as FFF, or in French: Fédération française de football. The team's colours are blue, white, and red, and the coq gaulois its symbol. France are colloquially known as Les Bleus (The Blues). They are the reigning world champions, having won the most recent World Cup final in 2018.

France plays their home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, and their manager is Didier Deschamps. They have won two FIFA World Cups, two UEFA European Championships, two FIFA Confederations Cups and one Olympic tournament. France experienced much of its success in four major eras: in the 1950s, 1980s, late 1990s/early 2000s, and mid/late 2010s, respectively, which resulted in numerous major honours. France was one of the four European teams that participated in the inaugural World Cup in 1930. France has been eliminated in the qualification stage six times.

In 1958, the team, led by Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine, finished in third place at the FIFA World Cup. In 1984, France, led by Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini, won UEFA Euro 1984. However, France only began to reach its prime from the 1990s onward, with the establishment of INF Clairefontaine. Under the captaincy of Didier Deschamps and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, France won the FIFA World Cup in 1998. Two years later, the team triumphed at UEFA Euro 2000. France won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003, and reached the 2006 FIFA World Cup final, which it lost 5–3 on penalties to Italy. The team also reached the final of UEFA Euro 2016, where they lost 1–0 to Portugal in extra time. France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, defeating Croatia 4–2 in the final match on 15 July 2018. This was the second time they had won the tournament after winning it on home soil in 1998.

France was the first national team to win the three most important men's titles recognized by FIFA: the World Cup, the Confederations Cup, and the Olympic tournament after victory in the Confederations Cup in 2001. The now-defunct Confederations Cup started in 1992. Prior to this, Uruguay and Italy had won both the Olympic tournament and the World Cup in the 1920s and 1930s. England and Germany had also won both tournaments, albeit England competes as Great Britain in the Olympics and East Germany won the Olympic tournament in 1976. Since 2001, Argentina (after the 2004 Olympics) and Brazil (after the 2016 Olympics) are the other two national teams that have won these three titles. They, along with Germany, Italy, and Uruguay, have also won their respective continental championship (Copa América for Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, and UEFA European Championship for France, Germany and Italy).^[3][4]

History[]

The France national football team was created in 1904 around the time of FIFA's foundation on 21 May 1904 and contested its first official international match on 1 May 1904 against Belgium in Brussels, which ended in a 3–3 draw.^[5] 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.

The 1950s saw France handed its first 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.^[6] 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.

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.

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.^[7] 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 all the way 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.

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).^[8][9] 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.^[10]

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.^[11][12] 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.^[13][14][15] 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".^[16] 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.^[17] Following the completion of the World Cup tournament, Federation President Jean-Pierre Escalettes resigned from his position.

Domenech, whose contract already 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.^[18] On 6 August, five players who were deemed to have played a major role in the training boycott were disciplined for their roles.^[19][20]

At Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, France reached the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by eventual champions Spain.^[21][22] 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.^[23][24] His team qualified for the 2014 World Cup by beating Ukraine in the playoffs, and Deschamps then extended his contract until Euro 2016.^[25] Missing star midfielder Franck Ribéry through injury,^[26] France lost to eventual champions Germany in the quarter-finals courtesy of an early goal by Mats Hummels.^[27] Paul Pogba was awarded the Best Young Player award during the tournament.^[28]

France automatically qualified as hosts for Euro 2016.^[29] Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa were not in the squad.^[30][31] France were drawn in Group A of the tournament alongside Romania, Switzerland and Albania.^[32] 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.^[33] 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.^[34][35][36] France won the match 2–0, marking their first win over Germany at a major tournament since 1958.^[37][38] 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.^{[39][40][41][42][43]}

In 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, France topped their group with 23 points; winning 7 wins, drawing 2 and losing once,^[44] although their two draws were against considerably weaker nations, drawing 0–0 with Belarus in their opening match^[45] and against Luxembourg, failing to secure a win against the latter since 1914, nearly 103 years.^[46] 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.^[47] France secured qualification to the World Cup finals with a 2–1 win over Belarus.^[48] They were drawn to play Australia, Peru and Denmark in a group in which they were considered heavy favourites.^[49][50] Overall, due to the strength and value of their squad, France were tipped by many as one of the favourites for the title.^[51][52][53] 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.^{[54][55][56][57]} 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.^[58][59] On 15 July, France beat Croatia in the final with result 4–2 to win the World Cup for the second time.^[60] 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.^[61] 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.^[62] 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[]

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. will also have extended rights, notably on the Internet, and may also broadcast images of the national team in its weekly program, Téléfoot.^[63] 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.^[64]

After France won their second World Cup in 2018, M6 together with TF1 broadcast all international fixtures featuring France respectively until 2022.^[65]

Kits and crest[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to France national football team kits.

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–^[66] on the left.^[67]

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.^[68]

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.^[69] 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.^[70][71]

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.^[72] 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.^[73]

Kit sponsorship[]

Kit supplier	Period	Notes
Allen Sport	1938–1966[74][75]
Le Coq Sportif	1966–1971
Adidas	1972–2010
Nike	2011–present

Kit deals[]

Kit supplier	Period	Contract announcement	Contract duration	Value	Notes
Nike	2011–present	2008-02-22	2011–2018 (7 years)	Total €340.8 million (€42.6 million per year)[76]
		2016-12-08	2018–2026 (8 years)	Total €450 million (€50 million per year)[77]

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.^[78]

Results and fixtures[]

The following matches have been played within the past 12 months.

2020[]

2021[]

Coaching staff[]

As of August 2019.^[81]

Position	Name
Head coach	Didier Deschamps
Assistant coach	Guy Stéphan
Goalkeeper coach	Franck Raviot
Trainer	Cyril Moine
Doctor	Franck Le Gall
Video analyst	Thierry Marszalek Eric Dubray
Osteopath	Jean-Yves Vandewalle
Physiotherapists	Christophe Geoffroy Denis Morcel Alexandre Germain Guillaume Vassout
Team Manager	Philippe Brocherieux
Chef	Xavier Rousseau
Security officer	Mohamed Sanhadji
Steward	Bachir Nehar
Media officer	Raphaël Raymond

Coaching history[]

As of 7 September 2021

Managers in italics were hired as caretakers

Manager	France career	Pld	W	D	L	Win %
Henri Guérin	1964–1966	15	5	4	6	033.3
José Arribas Jean Snella	1966	4	2	0	2	050.0
Just Fontaine	1967	2	0	0	2	000.0
Louis Dugauguez	1967–1968	9	2	3	4	022.2
Georges Boulogne	1969–1973	31	15	5	11	048.4
Ștefan Kovács	1973–1975	15	6	4	5	040.0
Michel Hidalgo	1976–1984	75	41	16	18	054.7
Henri Michel	1984–1988	36	16	12	8	044.4
Michel Platini	1988–1992	29	16	8	5	055.2
Gérard Houllier	1992–1993	12	7	1	4	058.3
Aimé Jacquet	1993–1998	53	34	16	3	064.2
Roger Lemerre	1998–2002	53	34	11	8	064.2
Jacques Santini	2002–2004	28	22	4	2	078.6
Raymond Domenech	2004–2010	79	41	24	14	051.9
Laurent Blanc	2010–2012	27	16	7	4	059.3
Didier Deschamps	2012–present	120	77	25	18	064.2

Players[]

Current squad[]

The following 23 players have been called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 1 September 2021, Ukraine on 4 September 2021 and Finland on 7 September 2021.^[82]

Caps and goals as of 7 September 2021, after the team's match against Finland.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Hugo Lloris (captain)	(1986-12-26) 26 December 1986 (age 34)	132	0	Tottenham Hotspur
16	1GK	Steve Mandanda	(1985-03-28) 28 March 1985 (age 36)	34	0	Marseille
23	1GK	Mike Maignan	(1995-07-03) 3 July 1995 (age 26)	1	0	Milan
2	2DF	Léo Dubois	(1994-09-14) 14 September 1994 (age 27)	10	0	Lyon
3	2DF	Presnel Kimpembe	(1995-08-13) 13 August 1995 (age 26)	24	0	Paris Saint-Germain
4	2DF	Raphaël Varane	(1993-04-25) 25 April 1993 (age 28)	81	5	Manchester United
5	2DF	Nordi Mukiele	(1997-11-01) 1 November 1997 (age 23)	1	0	RB Leipzig
15	2DF	Kurt Zouma	(1994-10-27) 27 October 1994 (age 26)	10	1	West Ham United
18	2DF	Lucas Digne	(1993-07-20) 20 July 1993 (age 28)	42	0	Everton
21	2DF	Clément Lenglet	(1995-06-17) 17 June 1995 (age 26)	14	1	Barcelona
22	2DF	Theo Hernandez	(1997-10-06) 6 October 1997 (age 23)	1	0	Milan
	2DF	Jules Koundé	(1998-11-12) 12 November 1998 (age 22)	3	0	Sevilla
6	3MF	Paul Pogba	(1993-03-15) 15 March 1993 (age 28)	87	11	Manchester United
8	3MF	Thomas Lemar	(1995-11-12) 12 November 1995 (age 25)	27	4	Atlético Madrid
12	3MF	Matteo Guendouzi	(1999-04-14) 14 April 1999 (age 22)	0	0	Marseille
13	3MF	Adrien Rabiot	(1995-04-03) 3 April 1995 (age 26)	21	0	Juventus
14	3MF	Aurélien Tchouaméni	(2000-01-27) 27 January 2000 (age 21)	3	0	Monaco[a]
17	3MF	Jordan Veretout	(1993-03-01) 1 March 1993 (age 28)	2	0	Roma
7	4FW	Antoine Griezmann	(1991-03-21) 21 March 1991 (age 30)	98	41	Atlético Madrid
9	4FW	Anthony Martial	(1995-12-05) 5 December 1995 (age 25)	30	2	Manchester United
10	4FW	Wissam Ben Yedder	(1990-08-12) 12 August 1990 (age 31)	15	2	Monaco[a]
11	4FW	Moussa Diaby	(1999-07-07) 7 July 1999 (age 22)	2	0	Bayer Leverkusen
19	4FW	Karim Benzema	(1987-12-19) 19 December 1987 (age 33)	90	31	Real Madrid
20	4FW	Kingsley Coman	(1996-06-13) 13 June 1996 (age 25)	34	5	Bayern Munich

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	Alphonse Areola	(1993-02-27) 27 February 1993 (age 28)	3	0	West Ham United	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 31 March 2021
GK	Benoît Costil	(1987-07-03) 3 July 1987 (age 34)	1	0	Bordeaux	v.  Sweden, 17 November 2020
DF	Dayot Upamecano	(1998-10-27) 27 October 1998 (age 22)	3	1	Bayern Munich	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1 September 2021 INJ
DF	Benjamin Pavard	(1996-03-28) 28 March 1996 (age 25)	38	2	Bayern Munich	UEFA Euro 2020
DF	Lucas Hernandez	(1996-02-14) 14 February 1996 (age 25)	28	0	Bayern Munich	UEFA Euro 2020
DF	Ferland Mendy	(1995-06-08) 8 June 1995 (age 26)	7	0	Real Madrid	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 31 March 2021
DF	Ruben Aguilar	(1993-04-26) 26 April 1993 (age 28)	1	0	Monaco[a]	v.  Sweden, 17 November 2020
MF	N'Golo Kanté	(1991-03-29) 29 March 1991 (age 30)	50	2	Chelsea	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1 September 2021 INJ
MF	Corentin Tolisso	(1994-08-03) 3 August 1994 (age 27)	28	2	Bayern Munich	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1 September 2021 INJ
MF	Moussa Sissoko	(1989-08-16) 16 August 1989 (age 32)	71	2	Watford	UEFA Euro 2020
MF	Tanguy Ndombele	(1996-12-28) 28 December 1996 (age 24)	7	0	Tottenham Hotspur	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 31 March 2021
MF	Steven Nzonzi	(1988-12-15) 15 December 1988 (age 32)	20	0	Roma	v.  Sweden, 17 November 2020
MF	Houssem Aouar	(1998-06-30) 30 June 1998 (age 23)	1	0	Lyon	v.  Finland, 11 November 2020 INJ
MF	Eduardo Camavinga	(2002-11-10) 10 November 2002 (age 18)	3	1	Real Madrid	v.  Croatia, 14 October 2020
FW	Kylian Mbappé	(1998-12-20) 20 December 1998 (age 22)	49	17	Paris Saint-Germain	v.  Ukraine, 4 September 2021 INJ
FW	Olivier Giroud	(1986-09-30) 30 September 1986 (age 34)	110	46	Milan	UEFA Euro 2020
FW	Ousmane Dembélé	(1997-05-15) 15 May 1997 (age 24)	27	4	Barcelona	UEFA Euro 2020
FW	Marcus Thuram	(1997-08-06) 6 August 1997 (age 24)	4	0	Borussia Mönchengladbach	UEFA Euro 2020
FW	Nabil Fekir	(1993-07-18) 18 July 1993 (age 28)	25	2	Real Betis	v.  Finland, 11 November 2020 INJ
FW	Jonathan Ikoné	(1998-05-02) 2 May 1998 (age 23)	4	1	Lille	v.  Croatia, 8 September 2020
COV Withdrew due to COVID-19 INJ Withdrew due to injury PRE Preliminary squad RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension

Player of the Year[]

Player records[]

As of 7 September 2021^[83]

Players in bold are still active with France.

Most capped players[]

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Lilian Thuram	142	2	1994–2008
2	Hugo Lloris	132	0	2008–present
3	Thierry Henry	123	51	1997–2010
4	Marcel Desailly	116	3	1993–2004
5	Olivier Giroud	110	46	2011–present
6	Zinedine Zidane	108	31	1994–2006
7	Patrick Vieira	107	6	1997–2009
8	Didier Deschamps	103	4	1989–2000
9	Antoine Griezmann	98	41	2014–present
10	Laurent Blanc	97	16	1989–2000
	Bixente Lizarazu		2	1992–2004

Top goalscorers[]

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Average	Career
1	Thierry Henry (list)	51	123	0.41	1997–2010
2	Olivier Giroud (list)	46	110	0.42	2011–present
3	Michel Platini	41	72	0.57	1976–1987
	Antoine Griezmann	41	98	0.42	2014–present
5	David Trezeguet	34	71	0.48	1998–2008
6	Karim Benzema	31	90	0.34	2007–present
	Zinedine Zidane (list)	31	108	0.29	1994–2006
8	Just Fontaine	30	21	1.43	1953–1960
	Jean-Pierre Papin (list)	30	54	0.56	1986–1995
10	Youri Djorkaeff	28	82	0.34	1993–2002

Competitive record[]

FIFA World Cup[]

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.^[84][85]

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

In 2018, France defeated Croatia 4–2 in the final match and won the World Cup for the second time.^[86]

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	—
1930	Group stage	7th	3	1	0	2	4	3	Squad		Qualified as invitees
1934	Round of 16	9th	1	0	0	1	2	3	Squad		1	1	0	0	6	1	1934
1938	Quarter-finals	6th	2	1	0	1	4	4	Squad		Qualified as hosts						1938
1950	Originally did not qualify, then invited, later withdrew										3	0	2	1	4	5	1950
1954	Group stage	11th	2	1	0	1	3	3	Squad		4	4	0	0	20	4	1954
1958	Third place	3rd	6	4	0	2	23	15	Squad		4	3	1	0	19	4	1958
1962	Did not qualify										5	3	0	2	10	4	1962
1966	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	2	5	Squad		6	5	0	1	9	2	1966
1970	Did not qualify										4	2	0	2	6	4	1970
1974											4	1	1	2	3	5	1974
1978	Group stage	12th	3	1	0	2	5	5	Squad		4	2	1	1	7	4	1978
1982	Fourth place	4th	7	3	2	2	16	12	Squad		8	5	0	3	20	8	1982
1986	Third place	3rd	7	4	2	1	12	6	Squad		8	5	1	2	15	4	1986
1990	Did not qualify										8	3	3	2	10	7	1990
1994											10	6	1	3	17	10	1994
1998	Champions	1st	7	6	1	0	15	2	Squad		Qualified as hosts						1998
2002	Group stage	28th	3	0	1	2	0	3	Squad		Qualified as defending champions						2002
2006	Runners-up	2nd	7	4	3	0	9	3	Squad		10	5	5	0	14	2	2006
2010	Group stage	29th	3	0	1	2	1	4	Squad		12	7	4	1	20	10	2010
2014	Quarter-finals	7th	5	3	1	1	10	3	Squad		10	6	2	2	18	8	2014
2018	Champions	1st	7	6	1	0	14	6	Squad		10	7	2	1	18	6	2018
2022	To be determined										To be determined						2022
2026																	2026
Total	2 Titles	15/21	66	34	13	19	120	77	—		111	65	23	23	216	88	—

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

**Red border indicates tournament was held on home soil.

UEFA European Championship[]

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	—
1960	Fourth place	4th	2	0	0	2	4	7	Squad		4	3	1	0	17	6	1960
1964	Did not qualify										6	2	1	3	11	10	1964
1968											8	4	2	2	16	12	1968
1972											6	3	1	2	10	8	1972
1976											6	1	3	2	7	6	1976
1980											6	4	1	1	13	7	1980
1984	Champions	1st	5	5	0	0	14	4	Squad		Qualified as hosts						1984
1988	Did not qualify										8	1	4	3	4	7	1988
1992	Group stage	6th	3	0	2	1	2	3	Squad		8	8	0	0	20	6	1992
1996	Semi-finals	4th	5	2	3	0	5	2	Squad		10	5	5	0	22	2	1996
2000	Champions	1st	6	5	0	1	13	7	Squad		10	6	3	1	17	10	2000
2004	Quarter-finals	6th	4	2	1	1	7	5	Squad		8	8	0	0	29	2	2004
2008	Group stage	15th	3	0	1	2	1	6	Squad		12	8	2	2	25	5	2008
2012	Quarter-finals	8th	4	1	1	2	3	5	Squad		10	6	3	1	15	4	2012
2016	Runners-up	2nd	7	5	1	1	13	5	Squad		Qualified as hosts						2016
2020	Round of 16	11th	4	1	3	0	7	6	Squad		10	8	1	1	25	6	2020
2024	To be determined										To be determined
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.

**Red border indicates tournament was held on home soil.

UEFA Nations League[]

UEFA Nations League record
Season**	Division	Group	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	P/R	Rank
2018–19	A	1	4	2	1	1	4	4		6th
2020–21	A	3	6	5	1	0	12	5		TBD
2022–23	A	To be determined
Total			10	7	2	1	16	9	6th

*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

**Group stage played home and away. Flag shown represents host nation for the finals stage.

**Red border indicates the finals stage will be held on home soil

FIFA Confederations Cup[]

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
1992	Did not qualify
1995
1997
1999	Did not enter[87]
2001	Champions	1st	5	4	0	1	12	2	Squad
2003	Champions	1st	5	5	0	0	12	3	Squad
2005	Did not qualify
2009
2013
2017
Total	2 Titles	2/10	10	9	0	1	24	5	—

Minor tournaments[]

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad
1904 Évence Coppée Trophy	Co-Winners	—	1	0	1	0	3	3	—
1972 Brazil Independence Cup	Group stage	8th	4	3	1	0	10	2	Squad
1985 Artemio Franchi Trophy	Winners	—	1	1	0	0	2	0	—
1988 Tournoi de France	Winners	1st	2	2	0	0	4	2	—
1990 Kuwait Tournament	Winners	1st	2	2	0	0	4	0	—
1994 Kirin Cup	Winners	1st	2	2	0	0	5	1	—
1997 Tournoi de France	Round robin	3rd	3	0	2	1	3	4	Squad
1998 Hassan II Trophy	Winners	1st	2	1	1	0	3	2	—
2000 Hassan II Trophy	Winners	1st	2	1	1	0	7	3	—
2000 Nelson Mandela Challenge	Co-Winners	—	1	0	1	0	0	0	—
Total		8 Titles	20	12	7	1	41	17	—

Honours[]

This is a list of honours for the senior France national team

FIFA World Cup

• Champions (2): 1998, 2018
• Runners-up: 2006
• Third place: 1958, 1986
• Fourth place: 1982

UEFA European Championship

• Champions (2): 1984, 2000
• Runners-up: 2016
• Fourth place: 1960
• Semi-finals: 1996

FIFA Confederations Cup

• Champions (2): 2001, 2003

Olympic football tournament

• Gold Medal (1): 1984
• Silver Medal: 1900
• Fourth place: 1920
• Semi-finals: 1908

Competition				Total
FIFA World Cup	2	1	2	5
UEFA European Championship	2	1	0	3
FIFA Confederations Cup	2	0	0	2
UEFA Nations League	0	0	0	0
Olympic football tournament	1	1	0	2
Total	7	3	2	12

Minor titles[]

Évence Coppée Trophy

• Winners: 1904 (shared with Belgium)

Artemio Franchi Trophy (or Intercontinental Cup of Nations)

• Winners: 1985

Tournoi de France

• Winners: 1988

• Winners: 1990

Kirin Cup

• Winners: 1994

Hassan II Trophy

• Winners: 1998, 2000

Nelson Mandela Challenge

• Winners: 2000 (shared with South Africa)

See also[]

• France women's national football team
• France national under-21 football team
• France national youth football team
• French Guiana national football team
• Guadeloupe national football team
• Martinique national football team
• New Caledonia national football team
• Réunion national football team
• Saint Martin national football team
• Tahiti national football team

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to France national association football team.

• Official website (in French)
• France at UEFA
• France at FIFA

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