2026 World Cup: Deschamps reveals the 26 who will challenge Senegal

This Thursday, May 14, Didier Deschamps delivered his list for the 2026 World Cup. We can note the presence of several stars of world football, but also a few surprises.

Placed in Group I, the Blues will begin their tournament on June 16 against Senegal, before facing Iraq then Norway. To meet this challenge, Deschamps opted for the maximum allowed: 26 players. Among the 26 summoned to Qatar in 2022, only eleven make the trip to North America, including Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Marcus Thuram and Lucas Hernandez. The other places were conquered by a new generation: Rayan Cherki, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué or Manu Koné.

As for surprises, three names attract attention: Robin Risser, the young goalkeeper of RC Lens, gets his first call-up as third goalkeeper; Maxence Lacroix, solid at Crystal Palace, wins in defense; and Jean-Philippe Mateta returns in attack. Conversely, Eduardo Camavinga is paying the price for the coach’s choices and will not be on the trip.

The list of 26 Blues for the 2026 World Cup:

Guardians : Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Stade Rennais), Robin Risser (RC Lens)

Defenders : Théo Hernandez (AC Milan), Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool), Lucas Hernandez (PSG), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Jules Koundé (FC Barcelona), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)

Backgrounds : Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Manu Koné (AS Roma), Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG), N’Golo Kanté (Fenerbahçe)

Attackers : Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Bradley Barcola (PSG), Désiré Doué (PSG), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Maghnès Akliouche (AS Monaco), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)

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