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France at the World Cup 2026 — squad, group, fixtures & odds

France are competing at the 2026 World Cup in Group I, alongside Senegal, Norway, Iraq. Onside's model gives them 66% to reach the Round of 16 and 12.6% to win the trophy. Full schedule, projected XI, advance scenarios and Premier League players inside.
● GROUP STAGE COMPLETE

When does France play next?

France have completed their Group I fixtures. Knockout-round opponent depends on other group results — see the live bracket for the projected path.

FIFA #1 · GROUP I · EUROPE

France

FIFA · #1FRAGROUP IEUROPE

France sit among the model's pre-tournament favourites — a clear path to the final, anchored by a top-8 FIFA ranking and the depth to grind out knockout games.

ONSIDE AI · TOURNAMENT MODEL v5

CHAMPION PROBABILITY
13%
vs 47 OTHER NATIONS
0%17%
FRANCE'S TOURNAMENT JOURNEY
ROUND OF 16
66%
QUARTER-FINAL
49%
SEMI-FINAL
32%
FINAL
20%
CHAMPION
13%

Cumulative probabilities · Updated each match · 60-min refresh

I
Group
3
Group fixtures
7
PL stars

At the first 48-team World Cup, hosted across USA, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026. Drawn in Group I with Senegal, Norway, Iraq.

THE GROUP

France vs the rest of Group I

FIFA ranks at draw time. Top two from the group advance directly to the Round of 32; the eight best third-place finishers across all 12 groups also progress.

ONSIDE INTELLIGENCE · POWERED BY THE ENGINE
AI-MODELLED

France's tournament path — the fantasy angle

QUALIFY %
77%
to reach R32
GROUP xP
6.9
across 3 games
EXPECTED FINISH
#1 in group
WC FANTASY CAPTAIN(C)
Rayan Cherki
Man City
Highest projected impact in this squad
LIKELY SCORERGOAL
Rayan Cherki
Man City
Top attacking PL contributor
DIFFERENTIALDIFF
Jean-Philippe Mateta
Crystal Palace
Lower-owned, upside play
TOP 3 CONTRIBUTORS · PROJECTED PTS/90
1
Rayan Cherki
5.6
2
Jean-Philippe Mateta
5.5
3
Malo Gusto
4.6
VERDICTStrong qualification probability (~77%). Build around Rayan Cherki for World Cup Fantasy.
SHARE FRANCE'S TOURNAMENT
SHAREXRedditWhatsApp
GROUP RIVAL H2H · LIFETIME WC

France's ledger vs Group I

All-time World Cup meetings against this group's other three nations. The history that walks onto the pitch.

vs Senegal
FIFA #14 · Group I
NEVER MET
0W0D0L
GF 0GA 0GD 0
No prior World Cup meetings in our 2002-2022 window. First meeting could come at MD1.
FULL COMPARISON →
vs Norway
FIFA #31 · Group I
NEVER MET
0W0D0L
GF 0GA 0GD 0
No prior World Cup meetings in our 2002-2022 window. First meeting could come at MD1.
FULL COMPARISON →
vs Iraq
FIFA #57 · Group I
NEVER MET
0W0D0L
GF 0GA 0GD 0
No prior World Cup meetings in our 2002-2022 window. First meeting could come at MD1.
FULL COMPARISON →
FIXTURE DIFFICULTY HEATMAP
CELL COLOUR = RANK DELTA

France's 3 group matches at a glance

Difficulty by pre-tournament FIFA rank delta. Acid means France is the favourite; amber is a coin-toss; red means the underdog. Switches to actual-result colour once each match is played.

MD1H
Senegal
FIFA #14
+13 rank delta
Tue 16 Jun
MD2H
Iraq
FIFA #57
+56 rank delta
Mon 22 Jun
MD3A
Norway
FIFA #31
+30 rank delta
Fri 26 Jun
3
Easy
0
Toss
0
Hard

France is FIFA #1. Group avg rank is #26 25 places stronger than the group mean.

FIXTURES

France's group-stage matches

MDDateUTCUKOpponent
1Tue 16 Jun19:0020:00
2Mon 22 Jun21:0022:00
3Fri 26 Jun19:0020:00
THE PL × WC FUNNEL

7 Premier League players representing France

Track these names — their tournament minutes shape your FPL 2026/27 GW1 captaincy shortlist. 2 from Crystal Palace alone.

Crystal Palace
2
Maxence Lacroix
Jean-Philippe Mateta
Arsenal
1
William Saliba
Aston Villa
1
Lucas Digne
Chelsea
1
Malo Gusto
Liverpool
1
Ibrahima Konaté
Man City
1
Rayan Cherki

Source: Premier League official article (29 May 2026). ~ marks players inferred from secondary reporting where the squad wasn't formally announced.

FPL ANGLE

Why France's tournament matters for FPL 2026/27

France's 7 PL players will play 3 group matches before the FPL deadline locks. Watch for minutes, form, and tactical fit at international level — the strongest available signal before pre-season friendlies start.

WORLD CUP FANTASY · FRANCE

Pick France stars in FIFA World Cup Fantasy

Use the Onside captain / differential / value picks to assemble a France-heavy XI, then build it in the official FIFA game. In FIFA Fantasy, open the player list and filter by country = France to surface every eligible name.

Onside is not affiliated with FIFA. We publish picks; you play them in the official game.

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