France are one of the footballing powerhouses, and there was no surprise when they won the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia. After all, Les Bleus had one of the best squads at the time. Hugo Lloris, Raphael Varane, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and N’Golo Kante were among the players.
France retain some of those players and are among the favourites to win the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. According to , the 1998 world champions are third favourites behind Brazil and Argentina at 13/2 to go all the way.
And we think that they could.
France have some of the best players on the planet. Hugo Lloris is the number one goalkeeper, and the Tottenham Hotspur star remains one of the best in his position in the world. Yes, the Frenchman does make mistakes on occasions, but he is a leader at the back and is very influential in the dressing room.
Defensively France are very strong. True, there are fitness concerns, but you cannot argue that they have big-name players at the back. Varane is one of the most decorated players on the planet who won UEFA Champions League titles after titles at Real Madrid. The Manchester United centre-back is a great reader of the game and is a leader.
William Saliba is fast emerging as one of the best young defenders in Europe. After a successful loan spell in France, the youngster has taken the Premier League by storm and has been arguably the best player at the back in the English top flight this season.
Another Premier League-based France international defender who is doing well is Ibrahima Konate. The Liverpool youngster has had injury and fitness issues at the Reds, but when fit and on from, he is simply brilliant.
Midfield is another department that France are hugely blessed in. Matteo Guendouzi is an entirely different player from the one who was not having the best of times at Arsenal and has developed into a fine footballer at Marseille. Aurélien Tchouaméni is a generational talent who could end up being a Real Madrid legend, and so could Eduardo Camavinga.
It is in attack that France are the strongest. In Kylian Mbappe, they have one of the best footballers in the world who could end up being better than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the future. The Paris Saint-Germain forward played his role for his country in the 2018 World Cup, and he will be determined to lead the line by example this time around. Olivier Giroud is a veteran who can make a huge difference coming off the bench. And in Karim Benzema, they have the 2022 Ballon d Or winner. Now back in the France set-up, the Real Madrid striker will be keen on banging in the goals and getting his team to glory.
France have also been placed in a very favourable group. Alongside Australia in Group D, the defending world champions will face Denmark and Tunisia. It is very likely that they will end up as the group winners and will face the runners-up from Group C, who are unlikely to be Argentina.
