France national football team

The France national football team (French: Équipe de France de football) represents France in international football and is controlled by
France
the French Football Federation, also known as FFF, or in French: Fédération française de football. The team's colours are blue, white and red,
and the coq gaulois its symbol. France are colloquially known as Les Bleus (The Blues). The French side are the reigning World Cup holders,
having won the 2018 FIFA World Cup on 15 July 2018.

France play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, and the manager is Didier Deschamps. They have won two FIFA World
Cups, two UEFA European Championships, two FIFA Confederations Cups and one Olympic tournament. France experienced much of its
success in four major eras: in the 1950s, 1980s, late 1990s/early 2000s, and late 2010s, respectively, which resulted in numerous major
honours. France was one of the four European teams that participated in the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and, although having been
eliminated in the qualification stage six times, is one of only three teams that have entered every World Cup qualifying cycle.[1]

In 1958, the team, led by Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine, finished in third place at the FIFA World Cup. In 1984, France, led by Ballon d'Or
winner Michel Platini, won UEFA Euro 1984.

Under the captaincy of Didier Deschamps and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, France won the FIFA World Cup in
1998. Two years later, the team triumphed at UEFA Euro 2000. France won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003, and reached the
Nickname(s) Les Bleus (The
2006 FIFA World Cup final, which it lost 5–3 on penalties to Italy. The team also reached the final of UEFA Euro 2016, where they lost 1–0 to
Blues)
Portugal in extra time. France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup, defeating Croatia 4–2 in the final match on 15 July 2018.
Association French Football
France was the first national team that has won the three most important men’s titles recognized by FIFA: the World Cup, the Confederations Federation (FFF)
Cup, and the Olympic tournament after victory in the Confederations Cup in 2001. Since 2001, Argentina (after 2004 Olympics) and Brazil Confederation UEFA (Europe)
(after 2016 Olympics) are the other two national teams that have won these three titles. They have also won their respective continental
Head coach Didier Deschamps
championship (Copa América for Argentina and Brazil, and UEFA European Championship for France).[2][3]
Captain Hugo Lloris
Most caps Lilian Thuram (142)

Contents Top scorer Thierry Henry (51)

Home Stade de France
History
stadium
Home stadium
FIFA code FRA
Team image
Media coverage
Kits and crest
Kit suppliers
Kit deals
Nickname
Representation of multi-ethnic France
Coaching staff
Players First colours Second
Current squad colours
Recent call-ups
FIFA ranking
Results and fixtures
Current 7 (7 June 2018)
2017
2018 Highest 1 (May 2001 – May
Competitive record 2002)
FIFA World Cup record Lowest 27 (September 2010)
UEFA European Championship record
FIFA Confederations Cup record Elo ranking
Minor tournaments Current 1 1 (16 July 2018)
Mediterranean Games record
Highest 1 (most recently July
Honours 2018)
Minor titles
Lowest 40 (March–July 1930)
Statistics
Most capped players First international
Top goalscorers Belgium 3–3 France
Managers
(Brussels, Belgium; 1 May 1904)
See also
Biggest win
References
France 10–0 Azerbaijan
External links
(Auxerre, France; 6 September
1995)

History Biggest defeat

Denmark 17–1 France
The France national football team was created in 1904 around the time of FIFA's foundation on 21 May 1904 and contested its first official
(London, England; 22 October
international match on 1 May 1904 against Belgium in Brussels, which ended in a 3–3 draw.[4] The following year, on 12 February 1905, France
1908)
contested their first-ever home match against Switzerland. The match was played at the Parc des Princes in front of 500 supporters. France won
World Cup
the match 1–0 with the only goal coming from Gaston Cyprès. Due to disagreements between FIFA and the Union des Sociétés Françaises de
Sports Athlétiques (USFSA), the country's sports union, France struggled to establish an identity. On 9 May 1908, the French Interfederal Appearances 15 (first in 1930)
Best result
Committee (CFI), a rival organization to the USFSA, ruled that FIFA would now be responsible for the club's appearances in forthcoming Champions (1998,
Olympic Games and not the USFSA. In 1919, the CFI transformed themselves into the French Football Federation (FFF). In 1921, the USFSA 2018)
finally merged with the FFF. European Championship

In July 1930, France appeared in the inaugural FIFA World Cup, held in Uruguay. In their first-ever World Cup match, France defeated Mexico Appearances 9 (first in 1960)
4–1 at the Estadio Pocitos in Montevideo. Lucien Laurent became notable in the match as he scored not only France's first World Cup goal, but Best result Champions (1984,
the first goal in World Cup history. Conversely, France also became the first team to not score in a match after losing 1–0 to fellow group stage 2000)
opponents Argentina. Another loss to Chile resulted in the team bowing out in the group stage. The following year saw the first selection of a Confederations Cup
black player to the national team. Raoul Diagne, who was of Senegalese descent, earned his first cap on 15 February in a 2–1 defeat to
Appearances 2 (first in 2001)
Czechoslovakia. Diagne later played with the team at the 1938 World Cup, alongside Larbi Benbarek, who was one of the first players of North
African origin to play for the national team. At the 1934 World Cup, France suffered elimination in the opening round, losing 3–2 to Austria. On Best result Champions (2001,
the team's return to Paris, they were greeted as heroes by a crowd of over 4,000 supporters. France hosted the 1938 World Cup and reached the 2003)
quarter-finals, losing 3–1 to defending champions Italy. Medal record
Men's Football
The 1950s saw France handed its first Golden Generation composed of players such as Just Fontaine, Raymond Kopa, Jean Vincent, Robert
Olympic Games
Jonquet, Maryan Wisnieski, Thadée Cisowski, and Armand Penverne. At the 1958 World Cup, France reached the semi-finals losing to Brazil.
1984 Los Angeles Team
In the third place match, France defeated West Germany 6–3 with Fontaine recording four goals, which brought his goal tally in the
competition to 13, a World Cup record. The record still stands today. France hosted the inaugural UEFA European Football Championship in
1960 and, for the second straight international tournament, reached the semi-finals. In the round, France faced Yugoslavia and were shocked 5
–4 despite being up 4–2 heading into the 75th minute. In the third-place match, France were defeated 2–0 by the Czechoslovakians.

The 1960s and 70s saw France decline significantly playing under several managers and failing to qualify for numerous international
tournaments. On 25 April 1964, Henri Guérin was officially installed as the team's first manager. Under Guérin, France failed to qualify for the
1962 World Cup and the 1964 European Nations' Cup. The team did return to major international play following qualification for the 1966
World Cup. The team lost in the group stage portion of the tournament. Guérin was fired following the World Cup. He was replaced by José France national team at 1920
Arribas and Jean Snella, who worked as caretaker managers in dual roles. The two only lasted four matches and were replaced by former Summer Olympics
international Just Fontaine, who only lasted two. Louis Dugauguez succeeded Fontaine and, following his early struggles in qualification for the
1970 World Cup, was fired and replaced by Georges Boulogne, who could not get the team to the competition. Boulogne was later fired
following his failure to qualify for the 1974 World Cup and was replaced by the Romanian Ștefan Kovács, who became the only international manager to ever manage the national team.
Kovács also turned out to be a disappointment failing to qualify for the 1974 World Cup and UEFA Euro 1976. After two years in charge, he was sacked and replaced with Michel Hidalgo.

Under Hidalgo, France flourished, mainly due to the accolades of great players like defenders Marius Trésor and Maxime Bossis, striker Dominique
Rocheteau and midfielder Michel Platini, who, alongside Jean Tigana, Alain Giresse and Luis Fernández formed the "carré magique" ("Magic Square"),
which would haunt opposing defenses beginning at the 1982 World Cup, where France reached the semi-finals losing on penalties to rivals West
Germany. The semi-final match-up is considered one of the greatest matches in World Cup history and was marred with controversy.[5] France earned
their first major international honor two years later, winning Euro 1984, which they hosted. Under the leadership of Platini, who scored a tournament-
high nine goals, France defeated Spain 2–0 in the final. Platini and Bruno Bellone scored the goals. Following the Euro triumph, Hidalgo departed the
team and was replaced by former international Henri Michel. France later completed the hat-trick when they won gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics
football tournament and, a year later, defeated Uruguay 2–0 to win the Artemio Franchi Trophy, an early precursor to the FIFA Confederations Cup.
Dominique Rocheteau and José Touré scored the goals. In a span of a year, France were holders of three of the four major international trophies. At the
1986 World Cup, France were favorites to win the competition, and, for the second consecutive World Cup, reached the semi-finals where they faced
West Germany. Again, however, they lost. A 4–2 victory over Belgium gave France third place.

In 1988, the FFF opened the Clairefontaine National Football Institute. Its opening ceremony was attended by then-
Michel Platini captained
France to victory at UEFA President of France, François Mitterrand. Five months after Clairefontaine's opening, manager Henri Michel was
Euro 1984. fired and was replaced by Michel Platini, who failed to get the team to the 1990 World Cup. Platini did lead the team
to Euro 1992 and, despite going on a 19-match unbeaten streak prior to the competition, suffered elimination in the
group stage. A week after the completion of the tournament, Platini stepped down as manager and was replaced by
his assistant Gérard Houllier. Under Houllier, France and its supporters experienced a heartbreaking meltdown after having qualification to the 1994
World Cup all but secured with two matches to go, which were against last place Israel and Bulgaria. In the match against Israel, France were upset 3–2
and, in the Bulgaria match, suffered an astronomical 2–1 defeat. The subsequent blame and public outcry to the firing of Houllier and departure of
several players from the national team fold. His assistant Aimé Jacquet was given his post.

Under Jacquet, the national team experienced its triumphant years. The squad composed of veterans that failed to reach the 1994 FIFA World Cup were
joined by influential youngsters, such as Zinedine Zidane. The team started off well reaching the semi-finals of Euro 1996, where they lost 6–5 on Didier Deschamps
penalties to the Czech Republic. In the team's next major tournament at the 1998 World Cup at home, Jacquet led France to glory defeating Brazil 3–0 captained the French team
in the final at the Stade de France in Paris. Jacquet stepped down after the country's World Cup triumph and was succeeded by assistant Roger Lemerre that won both the 1998
FIFA World Cup and UEFA
who guided them through Euro 2000. Led by FIFA World Player of the Year Zidane, France defeated Italy 2–1 in the final. David Trezeguet scored the
Euro 2000.
golden goal in extra time. The victory gave the team the distinction of being the first national team to hold both the World Cup and Euro titles since
West Germany did so in 1974, and it was also the first time that a reigning World Cup winner went on to capture the Euro. Following the result, the
France national team was inserted to the number one spot in the FIFA World Rankings.

France failed to maintain that pace in subsequent tournaments. Although, the team won the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, France suffered a stunning goalless first round elimination at
the 2002 World Cup. One of the greatest shocks in World Cup history saw France condemned to a 1–0 defeat to debutantes Senegal in the opening game of the tournament. France
became the second nation to be eliminated in the first round while holding the World Cup crown, the first one being Brazil in 1966. After the 2010, 2014, and 2018 World Cups, Italy,
Spain, and Germany were also added to this list.[6] After France finished bottom of the group, Lemerre was dismissed and was replaced by Jacques Santini. A full strength team started out
strongly at Euro 2004, but they were upset in the quarter-finals by the eventual winners Greece. Santini resigned as coach and Raymond Domenech was picked as his replacement. France
struggled in the early qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup. This prompted Domenech to persuade several past members out of international retirement to help the national team qualify,
which they accomplished following a convincing 4–0 win over Cyprus on the final day of qualifying. In the 2006 World Cup final stages, France finished undefeated in the group stage
portion and advanced all the way to the final defeating the likes of Spain, Brazil and Portugal en route. France played Italy in the final and, in part down to controversial disruptions in
extra time that lead to captain Zinedine Zidane being sent off, failed to find a winning goal, Italy winning 5–3 on penalties to be crowned World Cup champions.
 France started its qualifying round for Euro 2008 strong and qualified for the tournament, despite two defeats
to Scotland. France bowed out during the group stage portion of the tournament after having been placed in the
Barthez
group of death (which included Netherlands and Italy). Just like the team's previous World Cup qualifying
campaign, the 2010 campaign got off to a disappointing start with France suffering disastrous losses and Leboeuf Desailly

earning uninspired victories. France eventually finished second in the group and earned a spot in the UEFA
Thuram Lizarazu
play-offs against the Republic of Ireland for a place in South Africa. In the first leg, France defeated the Irish 1
Deschamps
–0 and in the second leg procured a 1–1 draw, via controversial circumstances, to qualify for the World Cup.

In the 2010 World Cup final stages, the team continued to perform under expectations and were eliminated in Karembeu Petit

Zinedine Zidane captaining
France at the 2006 FIFA
the group stage, while the negative publicity the national team received during the competition led to further
Zidane Djorkaeff
repercussions back in France. Midway through the competition, striker Nicolas Anelka was dismissed from the
national team after reportedly having a dispute, in which obscenities were passed, with team manager Raymond
Domenech during half-time of the team's loss to Mexico.[7][8] The resulting disagreement over Anelka's expulsion
Guivarc'h
between the players, the coaching staff and FFF officials resulted in the players boycotting training before their
third game.[9][10][11] In response to the training boycott, Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot lectured the players
and "reduced France's disgraced World Cup stars to tears with an emotional speech on the eve of their final
group A match".[12] France then lost their final game 2–1 to the hosts South Africa and failed to advance. The France starting line-up against Brazil at the
1998 FIFA World Cup Final, a match they
day after the team's elimination, it was reported by numerous media outlets that then President of France won 3–0.

World Cup Nicolas Sarkozy would meet with team captain Thierry Henry to discuss the issues associated with the team's
meltdown at the World Cup, at Henry's request.[13] Following the completion of the World Cup tournament,
Federation President Jean-Pierre Escalettes resigned from his position.

Domenech, whose contract already expired, was succeeded as head coach by former international Laurent Blanc. On 23 July 2010, at the
request of Blanc, the FFF suspended all 23 players in the World Cup squad for the team's friendly match against Norway after the World Cup.[14]
On 6 August, five players who were deemed to have played a major role in the training boycott were disciplined for their roles.[15][16]

At Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, France reached the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by eventual champions Spain.[17][18] Following
the tournament, coach Laurent Blanc resigned and was succeeded by Didier Deschamps, who captained France to glory in the 1998 World Cup
and Euro 2000.[19][20] His team qualified for the 2014 World Cup by beating Ukraine in the playoffs, and Deschamps then extended his contract The French team in front of fans in
until Euro 2016.[21] Missing star midfielder Franck Ribéry through injury,[22] France lost to eventual champions Germany in the quarter-finals 2006.
courtesy of an early goal by Mats Hummels.[23] Paul Pogba was awarded the Best Young Player award during the tournament.[24]

France automatically qualified as hosts for Euro 2016.[25] Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa were not in the squad.[26][27] France were drawn in Group A of
the tournament alongside Romania, Switzerland and Albania.[28] France won their group with wins over Romania and Albania and a goalless draw
against Switzerland and were poised to play the Republic of Ireland in the round of sixteen.[29][30][31] Ireland took the lead after just two minutes through
a controversially awarded penalty, which was converted by Robbie Brady. A brace from Antoine Griezmann, however, helped France to win the match 2
–1 and qualify for the quarter-finals, where they beat a resilient Iceland 5–2 to set up a semi-final clash against world champions and tournament co-
favourites Germany.[32][33][34] France won the match 2–0, marking their first win over Germany at a major tournament since 1958.[35][36] France, however,
were beaten by Portugal 1–0 in the final courtesy of an extra-time goal by Eder. Griezmann was named the Player of the Tournament and was also
awarded the Golden Boot in addition to being named in the Team of the Tournament, alongside Dimitri Payet. The defeat meant that France became the
second nation to have lost the final on home soil, after Portugal lost the final to Greece in 2004.[37][38][39][40][41]

In 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying, France topped their group with 23 points; winning 7 wins, drawing 2 and losing once,[42] although their two draws
After captaining France
were against considerably weaker nations, drawing 0–0 with Belarus in their opening match[43] and against Luxembourg, failing to secure a win against
intermittently since 2010,
[44]
the latter since 1914, nearly 103 years. Their only defeat of the qualifying phase was against Sweden; losing 2–1 in the last few minutes following an goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has
error from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.[45] France secured qualification to the World Cup finals with a 2–1 win over Belarus.[46] They were drawn to play been the French captain
Australia, Peru and Denmark in a group in which they were considered heavy favourites.[47][48] Overall, due to the strength and value of their squad, permanently since February
France were tipped by many as one of the favourites for the title.[49][50][51] France, however, had a somewhat disappointing performance in the group 2012.
stage, only managing a 2–1 win over Australia and a 1–0 win over Peru, followed by a match against Denmark which finished in a 0–0 draw.[52][53][54][55]
France beat Argentina 4–3 in the round of sixteen and then Uruguay 2–0 to qualify for the semi-final stage, where they beat Belgium 1–0 courtesy
of a goal from defender Samuel Umtiti.[56][57][58] On 15 July, France beat Croatia in the final with result 4–2 to win the World Cup for the second
Lloris
time.[59] Didier Deschamps became the third man to win the World Cup as a player and a coach and also became the second man to win the title as
[60]
a captain and a coach. Kylian Mbappé was awarded the Best Young Player award and Antoine Griezmann was awarded the Bronze Ball and the Varane Umtiti
Silver Boot for their brilliant performance during the tournament.[61]
Pavard L. Hernández

Home stadium Pogba Kanté

During France's early years, the team's national stadium alternated between the Parc des Princes in Paris and the Stade Olympique Yves-du-
Manoir in Colombes. France also hosted matches at the Stade Pershing, Stade de Paris, and the Stade Buffalo, but to a minimal degree. As the Griezmann
years moved forward, France began hosting matches outside the city of Paris at such venues as the Stade Marcel Saupin in Nantes, the Stade
Mbappé Matuidi
Vélodrome in Marseille, the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, and the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg.

Giroud
Following the renovation of the Parc des Princes in 1972, which gave the stadium the largest capacity in Paris, France moved into the venue
permanently. The team still hosted friendly matches and minor FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championship qualification
matches at other venues. Twice France have played home matches in a French overseas department – in 2005 against Costa Rica in Fort-de-
France (Martinique) and in 2010 against China in Saint Denis (Réunion). Both matches were friendlies. France starting line-up against Croatia at the
2018 FIFA World Cup Final, a match they
won 4–2.
In 1998, the Stade de France was inaugurated as France's national stadium ahead of the 1998 World Cup. Located in Saint-Denis, a Parisian
suburb, the stadium has an all-seater capacity of 81,338. France's first match at the stadium was played on 28 January 1998 against Spain. France
won the match 1–0, with Zinedine Zidane scoring the lone goal. Since that match, France has used the stadium for almost every major home game, including the 1998 World Cup final.

Prior to matches, home or away, the national team trains at the INF Clairefontaine academy in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines. Clairefontaine is the national association football centre and is
among 12 élite academies throughout the country. The centre was inaugurated in 1976 by former FFF president Fernand Sastre and opened in 1988. The center drew media spotlight
following its usage as a base camp by the team that won the 1998 World Cup.
In the 20th and 23rd minute of an international friendly on 13 November 2015, against Germany, three groups of terrorists attempted to
detonate bomb vests, at three entrances of Stade de France, and two explosions occurred. Play would continue, until the 94th minute, in order
to keep the crowd from panicking. Consequently, the stadium was evacuated through the unaffected gates of the stadium away from the players
benches. Due to the blocked exits, spectators who could not leave the stadium had to go down to the pitch and wait until it was safer.

Team image
The Stade de France opened in
1998
Media coverage
The national team currently has a broadcasting agreement with TF1 Group, who control the country's main national TV channel, TF1. The
current agreement was set to expire following the 2010 World Cup. On 18 December 2009, the Federal Council of the FFF agreed to extend its exclusive broadcasting agreement with the
channel. The new deal grants the channel exclusive broadcast rights for the matches of national team, which include friendlies and international games for the next four seasons beginning
in August 2010 and ending in June 2014. TF1 will also have extended rights, notably on the Internet, and may also broadcast images of the national team in its weekly program, Téléfoot.
[62]
The FFF will receive €45 million a season, a €10 million decrease from the €55 million they received from the previous agreement reached in 2006.[63]

Kits and crest

The France national team utilizes a three colour system composed of blue, white and red. The team's three colours originate from the national flag of France,
known as the tricolore. France have brandished the colors since their first official international match against Belgium in 1904. Since the team's inception,
France normally wear blue shirts, white shorts and red socks at home (similar setup to Japan), while, when on the road, the team utilizes an all-white
combination or wear red shirts, blue shorts, and blue socks with the former being the most current. Between 1909–1914, France wore a white shirt with blue
stripes, white shorts, and red socks. In a 1978 World Cup match against Hungary in Mar del Plata, both teams arrived at Estadio José María Minella with
white kits, so France played in green-and-white striped shirts borrowed from Club Atlético Kimberley.[64]

France's Zinedine
Zidane number 10
home shirt, as made
by Adidas.
Beginning in 1966, France had its shirts made by Le Coq Sportif until 1971. In 1972, France reached an agreement
with German sports apparel manufacturer Adidas to be the team's kit provider. Over the next 38 years, the two would
maintain a healthy relationship with France winning Euro 1984, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 while wearing
Adidas' famous tricolour three stripes. During the 2006 World Cup, France wore an all-white change strip in all four
of its knockout matches, including the final.[65] On 22 February 2008, the FFF announced that they were ending their
partnership with Adidas and signing with Nike, effective 1 January 2011. The unprecedented deal was valued at
€320 million over seven years (1 January 2011 – 9 July 2018), making France's blue shirt the most expensive ever in Nike-made France merchandise
the history of football.[66][67] on display for UEFA Euro 2016

The first France kit worn in a major tournament produced by Nike was the Euro 2012 strip, which was all dark blue and used gold as an accent
colour.[68] In February 2013, Nike revealed an all baby blue change strip.

In advance of France's hosting of Euro 2016, Nike unveiled a new, unconventional kit set: blue shirts and shorts with red socks at home, white shirts and shorts and with blue socks away.
The away shirt as worn in pre-Euro friendlies and released to the public also featured one blue sleeve and one red sleeve in reference to the "tricolore". However, due to UEFA regulations,
France was forced to wear a modified version with the sleeve colours almost desaturated in their Euro 2016 group stage game against Switzerland, which continued to be worn during 2018
World Cup qualifying.[69]

Kit suppliers

Kit supplier Period Notes

Le Coq Sportif 1966–1971

Adidas 1972–2010

Nike 2011–present

Kit deals

Kit supplier Period Contract date Contract duration Value Notes

Total €340.8 million

22 February 2008 2011–2018 (8 years)
(€42.6 million per year)[70]
Nike 2011–present
Total €450 million
8 December 2016 2018–2026 (9 years)
(€50 million per year)[71]

Nickname
France is often referred to by the media and supporters as Les Bleus (The Blues), which is the nickname associated with all of France's international sporting teams due to the blue shirts
each team incorporates. The team is also referred to as Les Tricolores or L'Equipe Tricolore (The Tri-color Team) due to the team's utilization of the country's national colors: blue, white,
and red. During the 1980s, France earned the nickname the "Brazilians of Europe" mainly due to the accolades of the "carré magique" ("Magic Square"), who were anchored by Michel
Platini. Led by coach Michel Hidalgo, France exhibited an inspiring, elegant, skillful and technically advanced offensive style of football, which was strikingly similar to their South
American counterparts.[72]

Representation of multi-ethnic France

The France national team has long reflected the ethnic diversity of the country. Already in its first decades, there were in the France national team players that were considered of
non-"genuinely" French origin, being descendants of immigrants of former colonies of the French Colonial Empire or of European countries neighboring France. The first black player to
play in the national team was Raoul Diagne in 1931. Diagne was the son of the first African elected to the French National Assembly, Blaise Diagne. Seven years later, Diagne played on the
1938 FIFA World Cup team that featured Michel Brusseaux, the second footballer of North African descent to play for the national team (after Abdelkader Ben Bouali who was selected to
play against Ireland in 1937). At the 1958 World Cup, in which France reached the semi-finals, many sons of immigrants (such as Raymond Kopa, Just
Fontaine, Roger Piantoni, Maryan Wisnieski and Bernard Chiarelli) were integral to the team's success. The tradition has since continued, with successful
French players such as Michel Platini, Jean Tigana, Manuel Amoros, Eric Cantona, Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira, David Trezeguet, Claude Makélélé, Samir
Nasri, Hatem Ben Arfa, Karim Benzema, and Kylian Mbappé all having either one or both of their parents foreign-born.

During the 1990s, the team was widely celebrated as an example of the modern multicultural French ideal.[73] The 1998 World Cup-winning team was celebrated
and praised for inspiring pride and optimism about the prospects for the "French model" of social integration.[74] Of the 23 players on the team, the squad
featured players who could trace their origins to Armenia, Algeria, Guadeloupe, New Caledonia, Argentina, Ghana, Senegal, Italy, French Guiana, Portugal and
Martinique, with the patriarch of the team being Zinedine Zidane, who was born in Marseille to Algerian immigrants.

France v Belarus at the Stade de
France in October 2017.
The multiracial makeup of the team has, at times, provoked controversy. In recent years, critics on the far right of
the French political spectrum have taken issue with the proportional under-representation of ethnic white
The crest of Les
Frenchmen within the team. National Front politician Jean-Marie Le Pen protested in 1998 that the Black, Blanc,
Bleus following their
Beur team that won the World Cup did not look sufficiently French. In 2002, led by Ghanaian-born Marcel Desailly,
second FIFA World
the French team unanimously and publicly appealed to the French voting public to reject the presidential candidacy Cup victory.
of Le Pen and, instead, return President Jacques Chirac to office. In 2006, Le Pen resumed his criticism charging
that coach Raymond Domenech had selected too many black players.[75] In 2005, French-Jewish conservative writer
Alain Finkielkraut caused controversy by punning to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that despite its earlier slogan, "the French national team is
in fact black-black-black," and also adding that, "France is made fun of all around Europe because of that." He later apologized for the
comments declaring that they were not meant to be offensive.[76]

The socio-ethnic divide between the public and the team reached a climax
during the 2010 World Cup. Once in South Africa, the team did not manage to score a goal in their first two matches,
leaving almost no chance of going through save an exceptional win over hosts South Africa. Thereafter, the players went
on strike because of what they saw as mismanagement of the Nicolas Anelka case. Anelka had been forced to depart after
a slur that leaked to the press. Players said he was misquoted, and complained of the alleged leaker from the staff, the
media, and the federation. Instead of training, coach Raymond Domenech read the players' petition live on television to
the stunned journalists. Some Sarkozy-Fillon government members described the mutiny as banlieue behaviour, and the
players as racaille, words which have clear ethnic connotations.

The national team's overall impact on France's efforts to integrate its minorities and come to terms with its colonial past
has been mixed. In 2001, France played a friendly match at the Stade de France, the site of its 1998 World Cup triumph,
against Algeria. It was the country's first meeting with its former colony, with whom it had fought a war from 1954 to
1962, and it proved controversial. France's national anthem, La Marseillaise, was booed by Algerian supporters before France lining up before a friendly against Russia in 2018.
the game, and following a French goal that made the score 4–1 in the second half, spectators ran onto the field of play,
which caused play to be suspended. It was never resumed.

In April 2011, the French investigative website Mediapart released a story which claimed that the FFF had been attempting to secretly put in place a quota system in order to limit the
number of dual-citizenship players in its national academies. Quoting a senior figure in the FFF, the organization was said to have wanted to set a cap of 30% on the number of players of
dual-nationality by limiting places in the academies in the 12–13 age bracket.[77] The FFF responded by releasing a public statement on its website denying the report, stating, "[N]one of its
elected bodies has been validated, or even contemplated a policy of quotas for the recruitment of its training centers."[78] The FFF also announced that it had authorized a full investigation
into the matter and, as a result, suspended National Technical Director François Blaquart pending the outcome of the investigation.[79] Former national team player Lilian Thuram said of
the allegations, "Initially I thought this was a joke. I'm so stunned I don't know what to say," while Patrick Vieira declared that comments allegedly made by manager Laurent Blanc at the
meeting were "serious and scandalous". The French government also weighed in on the issue, as then President Nicolas Sarkozy was quoted as being "viscerally opposed to any form of
quota", while adding "setting quotas would be the end of the Republic". Following the investigation, Blanc was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Coaching staff
As of July 2018.[80]

Position Name

Manager Didier Deschamps

Assistant manager Guy Stéphan

Goalkeeper coach Franck Raviot

Trainer Grégory Dupont

Doctor Franck Le Gall

Didier Deschamps,
the current manager
of the France
Players national football
team.

Current squad
The following players were called up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and preceding warm-up matches.[81][82]
Caps and goals as of 15 July 2018 after the match against Croatia.
 No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club

1 GK Hugo Lloris (Captain) 26 December 1986 104 0 Tottenham Hotspur

16 GK Steve Mandanda 28 March 1985 28 0 Marseille

23 GK Alphonse Areola 27 February 1993 0 0 Paris Saint-Germain

2 DF Benjamin Pavard 28 March 1996 12 1 VfB Stuttgart

3 DF Presnel Kimpembe 13 August 1995 3 0 Paris Saint-Germain

4 DF Raphaël Varane 25 April 1993 49 3 Real Madrid

5 DF Samuel Umtiti 14 November 1993 25 3 Barcelona

RET
17 DF Adil Rami 27 December 1985 35 1 Marseille

19 DF Djibril Sidibé 29 July 1992 18 1 Monaco

21 DF Lucas Hernández 14 February 1996 12 0 Atlético Madrid

22 DF Benjamin Mendy 17 July 1994 8 0 Manchester City

6 MF Paul Pogba 15 March 1993 60 10 Manchester United

12 MF Corentin Tolisso 3 August 1994 14 0 Bayern Munich
13 MF N'Golo Kanté 29 March 1991 31 1 Chelsea

14 MF Blaise Matuidi 9 April 1987 72 9 Juventus

15 MF Steven Nzonzi 15 December 1988 9 0 Sevilla

7 FW Antoine Griezmann 21 March 1991 61 24 Atlético Madrid

8 FW Thomas Lemar 12 November 1995 13 3 Atlético Madrid

9 FW Olivier Giroud 30 September 1986 81 31 Chelsea

10 FW Kylian Mbappé 20 December 1998 22 8 Paris Saint-Germain

11 FW Ousmane Dembélé 15 May 1997 16 2 Barcelona

18 FW Nabil Fekir 18 July 1993 18 2 Lyon

20 FW Florian Thauvin 26 January 1993 5 0 Marseille

Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for France squad within the past 12 months.
 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up

GK Benoît Costil 3 July 1987 1 0 Bordeaux 2018 FIFA World Cup PRE

DF Mamadou Sakho 13 July 1990 28 2 Crystal Palace 2018 FIFA World Cup PRE

DF Mathieu Debuchy 28 July 1985 27 2 Saint-Étienne 2018 FIFA World Cup PRE

DF Lucas Digne 20 July 1993 21 0 Everton 2018 FIFA World Cup PRE

DF Kurt Zouma 27 October 1994 2 0 Chelsea 2018 FIFA World Cup PRE

DF Laurent Koscielny RET 10 September 1985 51 1 Arsenal v. Russia, 27 March 2018 INJ

DF Christophe Jallet 31 October 1983 16 1 Nice v. Germany, 14 November 2017

DF Layvin Kurzawa 4 September 1992 11 1 Paris Saint-Germain v. Germany, 14 November 2017

DF Jordan Amavi 9 March 1994 0 0 Marseille v. Belarus, 10 October 2017

MF Moussa Sissoko 16 August 1989 53 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2018 FIFA World Cup PRE

MF Adrien Rabiot 3 April 1995 6 0 Paris Saint-Germain 2018 FIFA World Cup PRE / WTD

FW Kingsley Coman 13 June 1996 15 1 Bayern Munich 2018 FIFA World Cup PRE

FW Anthony Martial 5 December 1995 18 1 Manchester United 2018 FIFA World Cup PRE

FW Alexandre Lacazette 28 May 1991 16 3 Arsenal 2018 FIFA World Cup PRE

FW Wissam Ben Yedder 12 August 1990 1 0 Sevilla 2018 FIFA World Cup PRE

FW Dimitri Payet 29 March 1987 37 8 Marseille v. Belarus, 10 October 2017 INJ

Notes
INJ
Withdrew due to injury
PRE
Preliminary squad / standby
RET
Retired from international football
SUS
Suspended from national team
WTD
Withdrew due to other reasons

Results and fixtures

2017
2018 31 August 2017 France 4–0 Netherlands Saint-Denis,
FIFA World Cup Q France
20:45 Griezmann Report (FIFA) Stadium: Stade de
(20:45 UTC+2) 14' (https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=276483/match=300331903/index.html) France
Report (UEFA) Attendance:
73', 88' (http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2018/matches/round=2000717/match=2017632/index.html) 79,551
Mbappé Referee: Gianluca
90+1' Rocchi (Italy)
2018 3 September 2017 France 0–0 Luxembourg Toulouse, France
FIFA World Cup Q
Report (FIFA) Stadium: Stadium
(https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=276483/match=300331888/index.html) Municipal
Report (UEFA) Attendance:
(http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2018/matches/round=2000717/match=2017625/index.html) 31,177
Referee:
Aleksandar
Stavrev
(Macedonia)
2018 7 October 2017 Bulgaria 0–1 France Sofia, Bulgaria
FIFA World Cup Q
Report (FIFA) Matuidi 3' Stadium: Vasil Levski
(https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=276483/match=300331882/index.html) National Stadium
Report (UEFA) Attendance: 12,921
(http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2018/matches/round=2000717/match=2017636/index.html) Referee: Antonio Mateu
Lahoz (Spain)
2018 10 October 2017 France 2–1 Belarus Saint-Denis, France
FIFA World Cup Q
Griezmann Report (FIFA) Saroka 44' Stadium: Stade de
27' (https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=276483/match=300331904/index.html) France
Giroud 33' Report (UEFA) Attendance: 74,037
(http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2018/matches/round=2000717/match=2017624/index.html) Referee: Halis Özkahya
(Turkey)
Friendly 10 November 2017 France 2–0 Wales Saint-Denis, France
Griezmann 18' Report Stadium: Stade de France
Giroud 71' (https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41854507) Attendance: 60,000
Referee: Jorge Sousa (Portugal)
Friendly 14 November 2017 Germany 2–2 France Cologne, Germany
56' Report Lacazette 33', 71' Stadium: RheinEnergieStadion
Stindl 90+3' (https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/41884902) Attendance: 36,948
Referee: Cüneyt Çakir (Turkey)
2018
23 March 2018 France 2–3 Colombia Saint-Denis,
Friendly France
Giroud Report Muriel 28' Stadium:
11' (http://www.uefa.com/friendlies/season=2018/matches/round=2000741/match=2023915/postmatch/commentary/index.html) Falcao 62' Stade de
France
Quintero Attendance:
26' 85' (pen.) 80,000
Referee:
Adrien
Jaccottet
(Switzerland)
27 March 2018 Russia 1–3 France Saint
Friendly Petersburg,
Russia
Smolov Report Mbappé Stadium:
68' (http://www.uefa.com/friendlies/season=2018/matches/round=2000741/match=2024261/postmatch/commentary/index.html) 40', 83' Krestovsky
Pogba 49' Stadium
Attendance:
68,000
Referee:
Gediminas
Mažeika
(Lithuania)
28 May 2018 France 2–0 Republic of Ireland Sain
Friendly Deni
Fran
Giroud Report Stad
40' (http://www.uefa.com/friendlies/season=2018/matches/round=2000741/match=2023916/postmatch/commentary/index.html) Stad
Fran
44'
Atten
70,0
Refe
Geo
Kaba
(Bulg
1 June 2018 France 3–1 Italy Nice,
Friendly France
Umtiti 8' Report Bonucci Stadium:
Griezmann (http://www.uefa.com/friendlies/season=2018/matches/round=2000741/match=2023917/postmatch/commentary/index.html) 35' Allianz
29' (pen.)
Riviera
Attendance:
Dembélé 34,500
63' Referee:
Anthony
Taylor
(England)
9 June 2018 France 1–1 United States Décines-
Friendly Charpieu,
France
Mbappé Report Green 44' Stadium:
78' (http://www.uefa.com/friendlies/season=2018/matches/round=2000741/match=2023919/postmatch/commentary/index.html) Groupama
Stadium
Attendance:
58,241
Referee:
Willie
Collum
(Scotland)
2018 FIFA World Cup 16 June 2018 France 2–1 Australia Kazan, Russia
GS
13:00 MSK (UTC+3) Griezmann 58' (pen.) Report Jedinak 62' (pen.) Stadium: Kazan Arena
Behich 81' (o.g.) (https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/match/300331533/) Attendance: 41,279
Referee: Andrés Cunha (Uruguay)
2018 FIFA World Cup 21 June 2018 France 1–0 Peru Yekaterinburg, Russia
GS
20:00 YEKT (UTC+5) Mbappé 34' Report Stadium: Central Stadium
(https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/match/300331527/) Attendance: 32,789
Referee: Mohammed Abdulla
Hassan Mohamed (United Arab
Emirates)
2018 FIFA World Cup 26 June 2018 Denmark 0–0 France Moscow, Russia
GS
17:00 MSK (UTC+3) Report Stadium: Luzhniki Stadium
(https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/match/300331512/) Attendance: 78,011
Referee: Sandro Ricci (Brazil)
2018 FIFA World Cup 30 June 2018 France 4–3 Argentina Kazan, Russia
R16
17:00 MSK (UTC+3) Griezmann 13' (pen.) Report Di María 41' Stadium: Kazan Arena
Pavard 57' (https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/match/300331537/) Mercado 48' Attendance: 42,873
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
Mbappé 64', 68' Agüero 90+3'
2018 FIFA World Cup 6 July 2018 Uruguay 0–2 France Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
QF
17:00 MSK (UTC+3) Report Varane 40' Stadium: Nizhny Novgorod
(https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/match/300331543/) Griezmann 61' Stadium
 Attendance: 43,319
Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
2018 FIFA World Cup 10 July 2018 France 1–0 Belgium Saint Petersburg, Russia
SF
21:00 MSK (UTC+3) Umtiti 51' Report Stadium: Krestovsky Stadium
(https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/match/300331531/) Attendance: 64,286
Referee: Andrés Cunha (Uruguay)
2018 FIFA World Cup 15 July 2018 France 4–2 Croatia Moscow, Russia
Final
18:00 MSK (UTC+3) Mandžukić 18' (o.g.) Report Perišić 28' Stadium: Luzhniki Stadium
Griezmann 38' (pen.) (https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/match/300331552/) Mandžukić 69' Attendance: 78,011
Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
Pogba 59'
Mbappé 65'
2018–19 UEFA Nations 6 September 2018 Germany v France Munich, Germany
League
20:45 CEST (UTC+2) Stadium: Allianz Arena
2018–19 UEFA Nations 9 September 2018 France v Netherlands Saint-Denis, France
League
20:45 CEST (UTC+2) Stadium: Stade de France
Friendly 11 October 2018 France v Iceland Guingamp, France
20:45 CEST (UTC+2) Stadium: Stade de Roudourou
2018–19 UEFA Nations 16 October 2018 France v Germany Saint-Denis, France
League
20:45 CEST (UTC+2) Stadium: Stade de France
2018–19 UEFA Nations 16 November 2018 Netherlands v France Rotterdam, Netherlands
League
20:45 CET (UTC+1) Stadium: De Kuip

Competitive record
For single-match results of the national team, see French football single-season articles and the team's results page.

FIFA World Cup record

France was one of the four European teams that participated at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and have appeared in 14 FIFA World Cups, tied for sixth-best. The national team is one of
eight national teams to have won at least one FIFA World Cup title. The France team won their first World Cup title in 1998. The tournament was played on home soil and France defeated
Brazil 3–0 in the final match.

In 2006, France finished as runners-up losing 5–3 on penalties to Italy. The team has also finished in third place on two occasions in 1958 and 1986 and in fourth place once in 1982. The
team's worst results in the competition were first-round eliminations in 2002 and 2010. In 2002, the team suffered an unexpected loss to Senegal and departed the tournament without
scoring a goal, while in 2010, a French team torn apart by conflict between the players and staff lost two of three matches and drew the other.[83][84]

In 2014, France advanced to the quarterfinal before losing to the eventual champion, Germany, 1–0.

In 2018, France defeated Croatia 4–2 in the final match and won the World Cup for the second time.[85]
 FIFA World Cup finals record Qualifications record

Year Round Position GP W D* L GF GA Squad GP W D L GF GA

1930 Group stage 7th 3 1 0 2 4 3 Squad —

1934 Round of 16 9th 1 0 0 1 2 3 Squad 1 1 0 0 6 1 1934

1938 Quarter-finals 6th 2 1 0 1 4 4 Squad Qualified as hosts 1938

1950 Originally did not qualify, then invited, later withdrew 3 0 2 1 4 5 1950

1954 Group stage 11th 2 1 0 1 3 3 Squad 4 4 0 0 20 4 1954

1958 Third place 3rd 6 4 0 2 23 15 Squad 4 3 1 0 19 4 1958

1962 Did not qualify 5 3 0 2 10 4 1962

1966 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 2 5 Squad 6 5 0 1 9 2 1966

1970 4 2 0 2 6 4 1970
Did not qualify
1974 4 1 1 2 3 5 1974

1978 Group stage 12th 3 1 0 2 5 5 Squad 4 2 1 1 7 4 1978

1982 Fourth place 4th 7 3 2 2 16 12 Squad 8 5 0 3 20 8 1982

1986 Third place 3rd 7 4 2 1 12 6 Squad 8 5 1 2 15 4 1986

1990 8 3 3 2 10 7 1990
Did not qualify
1994 10 6 1 3 17 10 1994

1998 Champions 1st 7 6 1 0 15 2 Squad Qualified as hosts 1998

2002 Group stage 28th 3 0 1 2 0 3 Squad Qualified as defending champions 2002

2006 Runners-up 2nd 7 4 3 0 9 3 Squad 10 5 5 0 14 2 2006

2010 Group stage 29th 3 0 1 2 1 4 Squad 12 7 4 1 20 10 2010

2014 Quarter-finals 7th 5 3 1 1 10 3 Squad 10 6 2 2 18 8 2014

2018 Champions 1st 7 6 1 0 14 6 Squad 10 7 2 1 18 6 2018

2022 To be determined To be determined 2022

Total 15/21 2 Titles 65 33 13* 19 120 77 N/A 111 65 23 23 216 88 Total

*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

**Red border indicates tournament was held on home soil.

UEFA European Championship record

France is one of the most successful nations at the UEFA European Championship having won two titles in 1984 and 2000. The team is just below Spain and Germany who have won three
titles each. France hosted the inaugural competition in 1960 and have appeared in nine UEFA European Championship tournaments, tied for fourth-best. The team won their first title on
home soil in 1984 and were led by Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini. In 2000, the team, led by FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, won its second title in Belgium and the
Netherlands. The team's worst result in the competition was a first-round elimination in 1992 and 2008.
 UEFA European Championship record Qualification record

Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA

1960 Fourth place 4th 2 0 0 2 4 7 4 3 1 0 17 6

1964 6 2 1 3 11 10

1968 8 4 2 2 16 12

1972 Did not qualify 6 3 1 2 10 8

1976 6 1 3 2 7 6

1980 8 4 1 1 13 7

1984 Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 14 4 Qualified as hosts

1988 Did not qualify 8 1 4 3 4 7

1992 Group stage 6th 3 0 2 1 2 3 8 8 0 0 20 6

1996 Semi-finals 4th 5 2 3 0 5 2 10 5 5 0 22 2

2000 Champions 1st 6 5 0 1 13 7 10 6 3 1 17 10

2004 Quarter-finals 6th 4 2 1 1 7 5 8 8 0 0 29 2

2008 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 1 6 12 8 2 2 25 5

2012 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 3 5 10 6 3 1 15 4

2016 Runners-up 2nd 7 5 1 1 13 5 Qualified as hosts

2020 To be determined To be determined

Total 2 Titles 9/15 39 20 9 10 62 44 102 59 26 17 206 85

FIFA Confederations Cup record

France have appeared in two of the eight FIFA Confederations Cups contested and won the competition on both appearances. The team's two titles place in second place only trailing
Brazil who have won four. France won their first Confederations Cup in 2001 having appeared in the competition as a result of winning the FIFA World Cup in 1998. The team defeated
Japan 1–0 in the final match. In the following Confederations Cup in 2003, France, appearing in the competition as the host country, won the competition beating Cameroon 1–0 after
extra time.
 FIFA Confederations Cup record

Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA

1992

1995 Did not qualify

1997

1999 Did not enter[86]

2001 Champions 1st 5 4 0 1 12 2

2003 Champions 1st 5 5 0 0 12 3

2005

2009
Did not qualify
2013

2017

2021 Qualified

Total 2 Titles 2/10 10 9 0 1 24 5

Minor tournaments

Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA

1904 Évence Coppée Trophy Co-Winners 1st 1 0 1 0 3 3

1972 Brazilian Independence Cup Group stage 8th 4 3 1 0 10 2

1985 Artemio Franchi Trophy Winners — 1 1 0 0 2 0

1988 Tournoi de France Winners 1st 2 2 0 0 4 2

1990 Kuwait Tournament Winners 1st 2 2 0 0 4 0

1994 Kirin Cup Winners 1st 2 2 0 0 5 1

1997 Tournoi de France Round robin 3rd 3 0 2 1 3 4

1998 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament Winners 1st 2 1 1 0 3 2

2000 King Hassan II International Cup Tournament Winners 1st 2 1 1 0 7 3

2000 Nelson Mandela Inauguration Challenge Cup Co-Winners — 1 0 1 0 0 0

Total 8 Titles 20 12 7 1 41 17

*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout.

**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.

Mediterranean Games record

France B
 Football at the Mediterranean Games

Year Round GP W D L GS GA

1951 - 0 0 0 0 0 0

1955 2 3 2 1 0 6 2

1959 - 0 0 0 0 0 0

1963 - 0 0 0 0 0 0

1967 1 5 3 1 1 9 5

1971 5 4 2 0 2 5 4

1975 2 6 3 1 2 10 6

1979 2 5 2 2 1 6 7

1983 4 4 1 2 1 1 1

1987 2 5 3 1 1 7 2

1991 – present See France national under-20 team

Total 7/10 32 16 8 8 44 27

Honours
This is a list of honours for the senior France national team

FIFA World Cup

◾ Winners: 1998, 2018

◾ Runner-up: 2006
◾ Third-place: 1958, 1986
◾ Fourth-place: 1982

UEFA European Championship

◾ Winners: 1984, 2000

◾ Runner-up: 2016
◾ Fourth-place: 1960
◾ Semi-finals: 1996

FIFA Confederations Cup

◾ Winners: 2001, 2003

Olympic football tournament

◾ Gold Medal: 1984

◾ Silver Medal: 1900
◾ Semi-finals: 1908, 1920

Competition Total

World Cup 2 1 2 5

European Championship 2 1 0 3

Confederations Cup 2 0 0 2

Olympic Games 1 1 0 2

Total 7 3 2 12

Minor titles
Évence Coppée Trophy

◾ Winners: 1904 (shared with Belgium)

Artemio Franchi Trophy

 ◾ Winners: 1985

Statistics

Most capped players

Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

# Name Career Caps Goals

1 Lilian Thuram 1994–2008 142 2

2 Thierry Henry 1997–2010 123 51

3 Marcel Desailly 1993–2004 116 3

4 Zinedine Zidane 1994–2006 108 31

5 Patrick Vieira 1997–2009 107 6

6 Hugo Lloris 2008–present 104 0

7 Didier Deschamps 1989–2000 103 4

Lilian Thuram is the most
Laurent Blanc 1989–2000 97 16
capped player in the history of
8
Bixente Lizarazu 1992–2004 97 2 France with 142 caps.

10 Sylvain Wiltord 1999–2006 92 26

Last updated: 15 July 2018

Source: French Football Federation

Top goalscorers
Highlighted names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

# Player Career Goals Caps Average

1 Thierry Henry (list) 1997–2010 51 123 0.41

2 Michel Platini 1976–1987 41 72 0.57

3 David Trezeguet 1998–2008 34 71 0.48

Hugo Lloris has the most caps
Olivier Giroud 2011–present 31 81 0.38
4 among active players with 104.
Zinedine Zidane (list) 1994–2006 31 108 0.29

Just Fontaine 1953–1960 30 21 1.43

6
Jean-Pierre Papin 1986–1995 30 54 0.56

8 Youri Djorkaeff 1993–2002 28 82 0.34

9 Karim Benzema 2007–present 27 81 0.33

10 Sylvain Wiltord 1999–2006 26 92 0.28

Thierry Henry is the top scorer in

the history of France with 51
goals.

Olivier Giroud is the top scorer

among active players with 31
goals.
Last updated: 10 July 2018
Source: French Football Federation

Managers

Manager France career Games Won Drawn Lost Win %

Henri Guérin 1964–1966 15 5 4 6 33.3

José Arribas
1966 4 2 0 2 50.0
Jean Snella

Just Fontaine 1967 2 0 0 2 0.0

Louis Dugauguez 1967–1968 9 2 3 4 22.2

Georges Boulogne 1969–1973 31 15 5 11 48.4

István Kovács 1973–1975 15 6 4 5 40.0

Michel Hidalgo 1976–1984 75 41 16 18 54.7

Henri Michel 1984–1988 36 16 12 8 44.4

Michel Platini 1988–1992 29 16 8 5 55.2

Gérard Houllier 1992–1993 12 7 1 4 58.3

Aimé Jacquet 1993–1998 53 34 16 3 64.2

Roger Lemerre 1998–2002 53 34 11 8 64.2

Jacques Santini 2002–2004 28 22 4 2 78.6

Raymond Domenech 2004–2010 79 41 24 14 51.9

Laurent Blanc 2010–2012 27 16 7 4 59.3

Didier Deschamps 2012–present 83 53 15 15 63.9

Last updated: 15 July 2018

Source: French Football Federation

Managers in italics were hired as caretakers

See also
◾ France women's national football team
◾ France national under-21 football team
◾ France national youth football team
◾ French Guiana national football team
◾ Guadeloupe football team
◾ Martinique national football team
◾ New Caledonia national football team
◾ Réunion national football team
◾ Saint-Martin national football team
◾ Tahiti national football team

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External links
◾ Official website (http://www.fff.fr/equipes-de-france/) (in French)
◾ France (http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/association=fra/index.html) at UEFA
◾ France (https://www.fifa.com/associations/association=fra/index.html) at FIFA
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=France_national_football_team&oldid=853367997"
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