Loaded, Deep France Enters World Cup as One of Favorites to Win it All
It feels like France's time again.
Les Bleus' last golden generation broke apart soon after defeat on penalties in the 2006 World Cup final, with dismal efforts at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup seeing them slide to an all-time low FIFA ranking of 27.
However, the shoots of recovery have been more and more apparent in recent years under Didier Deschamps. They dazzled their way to the quarterfinals of the last World Cup, before reaching the Euro 2016 final on home soil. Defeat to Portugal showed their inexperience, but this new generation now has the mettle as well as the talent to go far in Russia.
The forward line in particular is mouth-watering. Antoine Griezmann won the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball at Euro 2016, and he's only gotten better since. The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Nabil Fekir and Ousmane Dembele weren't even in the Euro 2016 squad but are now among the brightest young stars in world football.
France can call on an array of talent unheard of since the days of Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira. The days of hopeful optimism are over - only victory will do. Here's what you need to know about France entering the World Cup.
How They Qualified
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It was not as easy as it should have been, due to some moments of unbelievable complacency.
Drawn into a challenging group, France got off to a terrible start when it could only draw against Belarus in Minsk. Consecutive wins over its two biggest hurdles, Sweden and the Netherlands, got France back on track, but defeat in Sweden left Les Bleus battling for the top spot.
A second inexplicable slip-up followed as they somehow failed to beat Luxembourg in Toulouse, but they closed out the group with wins over Bulgaria and Belarus to finish top by four points. Sweden's defeat in Amsterdam made it look more comfortable than it was.
Undoubtedly, the best result of qualifying was a 4-0 home win over the Netherlands, in which Mbappe and Thomas Lemar scored their first international goals. It was a rare goal haul for the French, who only scored 14 times in their other nine group games.
Group Stage
France shouldn't have too much trouble with reaching the knockout stage, but their opponents aren't pushovers in what looks to be a wide-open group.
France gets its campaign underway against Australia on June 16 in Kazan. The Socceroos have won only one of their last nine World Cup games, and an unconvincing qualifying campaign means that they are regarded as the weakest team in Group C.
Next up is Peru in Yekaterinburg five days later. France captain Hugo Lloris was among those who wrote to FIFA asking that Peru captain Paolo Guerrero's drugs ban be lifted, and indeed the ban has now been suspended, allowing him to play at the tournament.
France will hope to be through to the last 16 by the time it faces Denmark in Moscow, but it may need a point to make sure. The Danes are likely to pose the biggest threat to France's rule over the group.
Route to the Final
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Assuming that France wins the group - and it should - it will face the Group D runner-up. That could be a repeat of 2014's last-16 game against Nigeria or Euro 2016's meeting with Iceland, but the most likely outcome is Croatia.
After that it gets more difficult to predict. A potential quarterfinal against Portugal would give France the chance to right some wrongs in a Euro 2016 final matchup, before advancing to the semis, where Brazil is the most likely opponent.
If France can navigate that game, it'll probably be Spain, Germany or Argentina waiting in the final. One way or another, France will have to beat the best to be the best.
Squad List
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Goalkeeper: Alphonse Areola (PSG), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille)
Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid), Presnel Kimpembe (PSG), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart), Adil Rami (Marseille), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)
Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus), Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich)
Forwards: Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Florian Thauvin (Marseille)
Predicted Lineup
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(4-3-3) Hugo Lloris; Benjamin Mendy, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane, Djibril Sidibe; Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, Blaise Matuidi; Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele
Outlook
Necks on the line time: France will win the 2018 World Cup.
With established players enjoying the best years of their careers, new stars joining them and a manager who has been there every step of the way, France is perfectly equipped to stage a successful bid for World Cup glory.
The 2-0 win over Germany at Euro 2016 showed that this team can win the big games now, and even though it failed to win the biggest one yet, that is not a performance that the more experienced members of the team will allow Les Bleus to repeat.
Many will look to Paul Pogba, the best young player at the 2014 World Cup, to lead the way to victory. But even if he doesn't, it could be Griezmann, or Mbappe, or Dembele, or Fekir, or Lemar. The list goes on and on, and that's why France has every chance. Its strength in depth is almost unparalleled. Trophy numéro deux awaits for Les Bleus.
