Who would bet against France winning another World Cup?
France will take some beating at this World Cup. Kylian Mbappé and co. have set the pace over the early part of the tournament, easing through arguably the toughest of all 12 groups, and then past Sweden in the first knockout round.
They have set up a last 16 meeting with Paraguay on Saturday, and are currently considered favourites to lift the trophy in New Jersey on July 19.
Didier Deschamps and his players can not afford to be complacent against an opponent that eliminated Germany in their last outing, but the way they’re playing right now, no one wants to face them.
Setting the tone
The numbers speak for themselves.
With six goals in four games, Mbappé is a 5/4 leading candidate to win the Golden Boot. Ousmane Dembélé is also near the top of the scoring charts having netted four times, while Michael Olise has registered more assists (five) than any other player at the tournament so far.
France are averaging the most goals per match (3.3) of any team at the World Cup and are behind only Brazil for expected goals (xG). Previously denounced for being conservative at past tournaments, they have been exhilarating to watch in their games against Senegal, Iraq, Norway and Sweden.
This is reflected in France’s price of just 15/8 to win the World Cup. And they are as short as 5/6 to reach the final.
Reaching such a stage would be the third World Cup final in succession for France, after getting their hands on the trophy in 2018 and losing to Argentina last time around.
It could be argued that France haven’t faced a serious test so far. Norway were meant to be that test in the final game of the group stage, until manager Ståle Solbakken made the intriguing decision to rest the majority of his best players, all but conceding top spot in Group I.
Facing elite teams
Against a high-calibre opponent, France might be exposed as top-heavy. Deschamps has used a double pivot in central midfield in all four matches with one of Manu Koné or Adrien Rabiot partnering Aurélien Tchouaméni.
It has worked for them so far.
However, a two-man midfield could be overwhelmed against an opponent like Spain, who France could run into in the semi-finals and play with three midfielders and sometimes even have a box midfield of four.
How willing are Mbappé, Dembélé and Olise to press from the front to prevent France being played through at will?
The left side of the defensive line could also be a weakness. Deschamps has rotated between Lucas Digne and Théo Hernandez in that position with both players much more effective going forward than covering the space behind them. Spain’s Lamine Yamal would relish his chances against either player.
William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano are two of the best central defenders in the sport at this moment in time while Jules Koundé is capable of tucking inside to form a back three whenever Digne or Hernandez venture forward down the opposite side. It’s a system that functions well.
Bradley Barcola is an important depth option that gives France such goal threat (Harry Langer / DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)
Game-changing talent
Ultimately, though, the sheer quality of France’s forward line might be the thing that makes them world champions for the third time in their history after lifting the World Cup in 1998 and 2018. It’s just not just the individual talent of each attacking player, but the way they complement each other.
Mbappé is the in-behind threat who takes up the best positions inside the opposition box. Dembélé is the two-way winger who fills the space around Mbappé and is capable of shooting and creating off both sides, as he demonstrated in his hat trick against Norway which saw the Paris Saint-Germain star score with both feet.
Bradley Barcola provides a vertical threat with his speed while Olise is the creator that knits everything together. For Bayern Munich, Olise is the new Arjen Robben, cutting in off the right wing to get shots away. For France, though, he is the new Antoine Griezmann, influencing all areas of their attacking play.
This is without even mentioning Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki, both of whom would start for essentially any other nation at the 2026 World Cup. France’s starting lineup is scary and their depth isn’t any less terrifying, and this is without Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike who is currently sidelined through injury.
Argentina, Brazil, England, Portugal, Spain and a few others should be taken seriously as World Cup contenders, but France are currently operating at a level that might make them unstoppable this summer.
Mbappé and co. have set the early pace — and there is nothing to suggest they are about to slow down any time soon.