Predicted France XI at the 2026 World Cup

Paris — With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, Didier Deschamps faces the delicate balance of rewarding form while preserving the spine that has carried Les Bleus to back-to-back finals in 2018 and 2022. Drawing on players plying their trade from Barcelona to Munich, the projected line-up blends proven winners with a wave of exuberant talent ready to step out of the shadows.

Between the sticks, experience edges youth. AC Milan’s Mike Maignan is expected to get the nod over Lille’s Lucas Chevalier, his reflexes and big-game composure viewed as critical in knockout football. Maignan’s rise has already eclipsed the standard set by longtime captain Hugo Lloris, and the 2026 stage offers a global platform to cement his legacy.

In front of him, the back four oozes versatility. Jules Kounde’s seamless transition from centre-back to right-back for Barcelona makes him the automatic choice on the flank, while Theo Hernandez, now starring for Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, continues to provide lung-bursting overlaps and a goal threat from left-back. At centre-half, Arsenal’s William Saliba anchors the defence with ice-cold positioning and tackling precision. Partnering him is January’s breakout star Loic Bade, whose four consecutive clean sheets for Bayer Leverkusen have catapulted him into World Cup contention.

The midfield pairing promises both steel and sparkle. Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni returns to the fold after a temporary omission, bringing ball-winning authority and metronomic distribution. Alongside him, 19-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery of Paris Saint-Germain is tipped to pull the strings, his energy and incisive passing offering the creative foil to Tchouameni’s destructive edge.

Attacking thrust comes from a trio operating with positional fluidity. Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, described by scouts as the planet’s most complete wide creator, drifts inside to orchestrate, while Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki provides fearless directness, having tallied nine goals and nine assists in his debut Premier League campaign. On the opposite flank, Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembele supplies searing pace and end product, his eight goals in 14 Ligue 1 outings underscoring a pedigree that few can rival.

Spearheading the formation, Kylian Mbappe remains the undisputed focal point. The Real Madrid talisman’s 38 goals in 30 matches this season illustrate a forward at the absolute apex of his powers, and Deschamps is unlikely to gamble with any alternative atop the attack.

Should this XI take the field in North America, France will marry the pragmatism that delivered a 2018 triumph with the flair required to outgun global heavyweights. The blend of battle-hardened winners and fearless prodigies could once again make Les Bleus the team everyone hopes to avoid when the group-stage draw is made.

Mike Maignan, Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Loic Bade, Theo Hernandez, Aurelien Tchouameni, Warren Zaire-Emery, Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki, Ousmane Dembele, Kylian Mbappe — eleven names, one objective: return the World Cup to French hands.