⚽ France – Key statistics from the Euro Cup ⚽
Appearances in euros: 10
European titles: 2
Best finish: Winners (1984, 2000)
Euro record: W21 E12 P10
Goals scored: 69
Biggest victory: 5-0 (against Belgium in Euro 1984)
Player to watch: Antonio Griezmann
World ranking: 2nd
Team nickname: Les Bleus (The Blues)
Group calendar:
- June 17: Austria vs France (Dusseldorf Arena, Düsseldorf, 21:00 local time/19:00 GMT)
- June 21: Holland vs France (Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, 21:00 local time/19:00 GMT)
- June 25th: France vs Poland (BVB Stadion, Dortmund, 18:00 local time/16:00 GMT)
How to follow our Euro 2024 coverage: Euro 2024 on Al Jazeera
Euro 2024 is the fifth consecutive major tournament in which France will enter as favorites.
They have reached the final in three of the last four World Cups and European Championships, and were one save away from Emiliano Martínez from being consecutive World Cup champions in Qatar 2022.
This astonishing level of consistency can be attributed to the seemingly inexhaustible pool of talent from which the nation can draw.
Take, for example, how the emergence of Mike Maignan and William Saliba has offset the retirements of Hugo Lloris and Raphael Varane. Or how Aurelien Tchouameni has perfectly plugged the Paul Pogba-shaped hole in midfield.
Similarly, Marcus Thuram's performances for Inter Milan this season have shown that he is ready to have the baton passed to him once Olivier Giroud retires. The unbroken supply chain of talent has reached another French team on the eve of its next major tournament, Euro 2024.
Culture is key
The team culture that coach Didier Deschamps embraces has added another dimension to his continued success.
Despite the global superstars at his disposal, his genius lies in how he gets them to put their egos aside when playing for the national team. The collective replaces the individual, and it is a principle that Deschamps has adhered to.
The reintegration of Adrien Rabiot and Karim Benzema, two players with whom the coach had fallen out in the past, before Euro 2020 demonstrated this. Benzema scored four goals in four games in the COVID-19-delayed tournament, while Rabiot established himself as a key pillar in France's midfield.
Deschamps' management style is the perfect combination of trust and merit. N'Golo Kanté's selection for Euro 2024 is the latest example of this.
The 33-year-old's career has been plagued by injuries in recent years – he last played for France in June 2022 and made just nine appearances for Chelsea in the 2022/2023 season. After moving last summer to Al Ittihad, where he made 44 appearances, Deschamps believes Kante can once again be an asset for his team.
“He has had a full season, although not in a European league, as he plays in Saudi Arabia, where he has regained full fitness,” Deschamps said when announcing his team on French television channel TF1.
“And I think with his experience and his background, I'm convinced that our team will be stronger with him.”
The injection of experience into the team has been accompanied by an injection of youth, with 18-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery and Bradley Barcola both called up.
Griezmann the glue guy
Superstar Kylian Mbappe is the obvious centrepiece to this France side – the 25-year-old topped Les Bleus’ goals (9) and assists (5) charts in their unbeaten qualification campaign for Euro 2024.
However, as was the case in Qatar in 2022, the heartbeat of the team remains veteran forward Antoine Griezmann.
The Atletico Madrid star has been a constant presence in Deschamps’s managerial reign. His record of playing 84 consecutive games for France came to an end in the March friendlies against Chile and Germany, which he missed through injury.
Griezmann’s versatility makes him indispensable to Deschamps.
He came of age at Euro 2016 as a second striker, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot.
At Euro 2020, he often found himself playing on the left of a front-three forward line to accommodate Mbappe and Benzema.
With France reeling from injuries at the 2022 World Cup, Deschamps decided to deploy him in midfield. The experiment worked, with Griezmann notching up the joint-highest assists total in Qatar.
It is a role he will reprise in Germany this summer, and at age 33, this is Griezmann’s last chance to win the trophy that has eluded him in his storied France career.
France's recent appearances in the European soccer championship have been marked by anguish.
At Euro 2016, they lost the final in extra time to Portugal at home.
Just when it seemed like they were advancing at Euro 2020, they suffered a surprising elimination against Switzerland in the round of 16.
Victory at the 2018 World Cup does not do justice to the level of dominance France has shown over the last decade. This year's Euro Cup presents a golden opportunity for Les Bleus to seal their legacy as one of the greatest national teams in history.
⚽ France's definitive squad for Euro 2024 ⚽
Captain: Kylian Mbappé
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham United), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens)
Defenders: Jonathan Clauss (Marseille), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), William Saliba (Arsenal), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid), Benjamin Pavard (Inter Milan), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern) Munich) )
Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Al Ittihad), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético de Madrid), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain), Youssouf Fofana (AS Monaco)
Forward: Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Internazionale), Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain), Olivier Giroud (Los Angeles FC)
You can follow the action on Al Jazeera's dedicated Euro 2024 tournament page with all the match build-ups and live text commentary, and stay up to date with the group standings and real-time match results and times.
