Didier Deschamps, the coach of France, announced a preliminary squad of 25 players for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar this month. The squad, led by Real Madrid captain Karim Benzema, the world's best player this year, includes 11 players from the 2018 World Cup champions in Russia. Conversely, the initial list saw the exclusion of goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
The squad is as follows:
- Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola, Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda.
- Defenders: Lucas Hernández, Theo Hernández, Presnel Kimpembe, Ibrahima Konaté, Jules Koundé, Benjamin Pavard, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Raphaël Varane.
- Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga, Youssouf Fofana, Mattéo Guendouzi, Adrien Rabiot, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jordan Veretout.
- Forwards: Karim Benzema, Kingsley Coman, Ousmane Dembélé, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé, Christopher Nkunku.
