France wants to reach a fourth major tournament final in nine years and win the European Championship for the first time under Didier Deschamps having failed to do so in the last two attempts. Les Bleus reached consecutive World Cup finals in 2022 but finished as runners-up to Argentina this time and were eliminated from the last-16 stage in the last Euro. They have just one trophy to show despite their dominance over the recent years prompting them to shine even more in the competition hosted in Germany. Didier Deschamps' side will be among the top favorites to lift the title with a star-studded squad at their disposal again. France is placed in Group D with Poland, Netherlands and Austria.
History
France has taken part in 10 Euro finals so far, fourth-most by any team in the competition, with the last nine appearances coming consecutively. The side is also one of the most successful teams in the competition having won the crown twice, same with Italy. However, their last championship came back in 2000. Les Blues finished as runners-up for the first time in the 2016 Euro, a tournament they hosted. France holds the record for collecting the most wins in a single tournament with 5, doing so in three editions including four years ago.
The memorable Euro campaign for Les Blues is certainly their first title in 1984 on home soil when captain Michel Platini created an unmatchable record of scoring nine goals in a single tournament. As a case, he remains the top-scorer for them in the tournament history although current player Antoine Griezmann is just two goals behind from matching that tally. Lilian Thuram has made a record 16 appearances for France in the Euros while his son Marcus Thuram will be making his debut appearance
France Squad for Euro 2024
Goalkeepers:
Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Brice Samba (Lens)
Defenders:
Benjamin Pavard (Inter Milan), Jules Koundé (FC Barcelona), Théo Hernandez (AC Milan), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool), William Saliba (Arsenal), Jonathan Clauss (Marseille), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid)
Midfielders:
N'Golo Kanté (Al-Ittihad), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Youssouf Fofana (AS Monaco), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG)
Forwards:
Olivier Giroud (AC Milan), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid), Kylian Mbappé (PSG), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Randal Kolo Muani (PSG), Bradley Barcola (PSG)
Captain:
Kylian Mbappé
Head Coach:
Didier Deschamps
The main headline of the squad is N'Golo Kanté returning to the national team set-up after missing out on the World Cup due to injury. Boss Didier Deschamps said his experience was the main factor in including him in Euros despite losing his place for playing outside of Europe with Saudi club Al-Ittihad. 18-year-old Zaïre-Emery is the youngest-ever player called up for a major tournament by France while teammate Bradley Barcola earns a call-up after impressing for PSG lately. Another midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned from the sport for four years due to doping and was not in the equation anyway for his injury troubles. In Euro 2024, The France squad will miss some stars due to injuries like Lucas Hernandez who unfortunately tore his ACL only months before the Euros and Christopher Nkunku. Despite making the World Cup squad, Matteo Guendouzi has also been left out.
France Fixtures Euro 2024
Saturday, 18 June 2024
Austria vs France - Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf (00:30)
Wednesday, 22 June 2024
Netherlands vs France - Red Bull Arena, Leipzig (00:30)
Saturday, 25 June 2024
France vs Poland - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund (21:30)
