Official: Didier Deschamps confirms 25-man France squad for 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar
Didier Deschamps has named the France squad for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup. The 2018 World Cup winning manager has picked 25 players for the tournament in Qatar.
West Ham United's Alphonse Areola, Tottenham Hotspur's Hugo Lloris, and Stade Rennes' Steve Mandanda have been named as the goalkeepers of the team.
Bayern Munich's Lucas Hernandez, Dayot Upamecano, Benjamin Pavard, and AC Milan's Theo Hernandez have also been named in the final squad of the Les Blues.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)'s Presnel Kimpembe, Barcelona's Jules Kounde, Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate, Arsenal's William Saliba, and Manchester United's Raphael Varane have made the final list.
Deschamps had the difficult task of choosing his midfield as two superstars from the World Cup winning squad in 2018, Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante, who have been ruled out due to injuries.
Real Madrid duo Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, Olympique Marseille's Matteo Guendouzi and Jordan Veretout, Juventus' Adrien Rabiot and AS Monaco's Youssouf Fofana made the cut in the final squad.
Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele, Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema also found a place in the team. AC Milan's Olivier Giroud, RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku, and PSG's Kylian Mbappe complete the attacking line.
France will start their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign on November 22 against Australia. They will also play Denmark and Tunisia on November 26 and November 30, respectively, in Group D.
Didier Deschamps says selecting France squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was not easy
Didier Deschamps had to deal with several injury issues while selecting the squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
He noted that it was not an easy task for him considering the absentees they have from the team. Deschamps said:
"To be totally honest, this has not been the easiest selection. It is the same for all the other national team managers. Players recovering from injury, players who got injured last night, who could get injured tonight."
France are one of the favorites to win the World Cup. Kylian Mbappe and the 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Benzema are their biggest threats in attack.
Deschamps also has a solid backline at his disposal. However, the midfield is rather inexperienced. How they fare in the 2022 FIFA World Cup remains to be seen.