FRANCE

FIFA Ranking: 9th

How They Qualified

Les Blues won seven of their 10 qualifying matches to book their place in Russia, despite being drawn in a difficult group which included the Netherlands and Sweden. A goalless draw at home to Luxembourg in October was a little embarrassing for the 1998 World Cup champions, however Didier Deschamps’ side were already a couple of points clear at that stage.

A 4-0 victory over the Dutch in August highlighted France’s devastating forward line, following goals from Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé and a brace from Monaco’s Thomas Lemar. Premier League stars Paul Pogba, Alexandre Lacazette and Anthony Martial should also be present in Russia. The Euro 2016 hosts have incredible strength in depth which will inevitably mean high expectations back home, however that has acted as a burden for them in previous tournaments.

Greatest World Cup Moment

Their 1998 triumph on home soil, which culminated with a 3-0 victory over Brazil in the final. Zinedine Zidane’s first-half double put the hosts in control before Emmanuel Petit added a third in stoppage time.

Key Player: N’Golo Kante

It’s no coincidence that the last two sides to win the Premier League title have both been built around the diminutive midfielder. Both Leicester City in 2016 and Chelsea a year later relied heavily on Kante’s phenomenal workrate and constant interceptions.With an abundance of attacking talent at his disposal, Deschamps will need someone to balance his star-studded side. Kante fits the bill perfectly.