The French national football team ended up with a difficult group for the opening phase of the 2026 World Cup, following the draw held on Friday, December 5, in Washington. Les Bleus will have to take on two formidable opponents, Norway and Senegal, as well as a team emerging from an intercontinental play-off (Bolivia, Iraq or Suriname), during the global tournament to be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026, in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
As one of the seeded teams, Les Tricolores were guaranteed to avoid the top-tier sides, such as Spain or Argentina, but still drew the strongest team from Pot 3: Norway, led by their star striker, Manchester City forward Erling Haaland. Norway, ranked only 29th in the Fรฉdรฉration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) rankings, is nonetheless on an impressive run: The team qualified for the World Cup by dominating its group โ finishing ahead of Italy โ with 37 goals scored and eight wins from eight matches. It is a young, talented squad. Alongside Haaland are world-class players such as Arsenal playmaker Martin Odegaard and Atlรฉtico Madrid forward Alexander Sorloth.
Didier Deschamps’ side also drew a tough opponent from Pot 2: Senegal. That team brings back bad memories for Les Tricolores, following their loss to the Lions of Teranga (0-1) in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup. Back then, France was the overwhelming favorite as the reigning world and European champion (1998 and 2000), but was stunned by El Hadji Diouf’s teammates, who went on to reach the quarterfinals in a major upset, while Les Bleus exited the competition at the group stage.
Beware of Senegal
Next summer, Les Tricolores will need to be wary of Senegal, ranked 19th by FIFA and the 2021 African champion, which boasts an experienced squad. It includes several players well known in France, who currently play or have played in Ligue 1. Among the key members are former Liverpool striker Sadio Manรฉ, defender Kalidou Koulibaly (formerly of Napoli) and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy (formerly of Rennes).
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