Didier Deschamps has named his finalised squad that will head to Germany this summer, as France look for success at the European Championships again.
Since finishing as runners-up on home soil eight years ago, France have enjoyed a mixed bag of results on the international stage. Winning the FIFA World Cup in Russia in 2018 was the highlight, and perhaps les Bleus were unlucky not to fend off Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the 2022 final.
But the EUROs have proven a tougher test, with France crashing out at the round-of-sixteen after a disappointing penalty shootout defeat to neighbouring Switzerland. Deschamps’ men have not been drawn an easy group this year – they will face Austria, the Netherlands and Poland in Group D.
Embed from Getty ImagesLes Bleus have one of the strongest squads at EURO2024 though, and there is an expectation this time around that they will progress into the latter stages of the tournament at the very least. While countries are permitted to name up to 26 players this summer, Deschamps has opted to settle for 25.
There is a real mix of experience in Deschamps’ squad. 37-year-old Olivier Giroud is in amongst the forwards; the AC Milan forward more than twice as old as PSG’s midfield talent, Warren Zaïre-Emery.
Bradley Barcola, also of PSG, is the only uncapped player to be named in a squad that features three Premier League representatives: West Ham’s Alphonse Areola, Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté and Arsenal’s William Saliba.
France will face Luxembourg and Canada next month before EURO2024 gets underway on June 14. Les Bleus will play their first match three days later, meeting Austria in Düsseldorf at 21:00 CEST (20:00 UK).
The squad
GK: Mike Maignan, Alphonse Areola, Brice Samba
DEF: Benjamin Pavard, Jules Koundé, Théo Hernandez, Dayot Upamecano, Ibrahima Konaté, William Saliba, Jonathan Clauss, Ferland Mendy
MID: N’Golo Kanté, Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Youssouf Fofana, Eduardo Camavinga, Warren Zaïre-Emery
ATT: Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé, Kingsley Coman, Ousmane Dembélé, Marcus Thuram, Randal Kolo Muani, Bradley Barcola