France national football team

France

Nickname(s)	Les Bleus (The Blues) Les Tricolores (The Tri-colors)
Association	Fédération Française de Football
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Laurent Blanc
Asst coach	Jean-Louis Gasset Alain Boghossian
Captain	Vacant[1]
Most caps	Lilian Thuram (142)
Top scorer	Thierry Henry (51)
Home stadium	Stade de France
FIFA code	FRA
FIFA ranking	21
Highest FIFA ranking	1 (May 2001 – May 2002)
Lowest FIFA ranking	25 (April 1998)
Elo ranking	31
Highest Elo ranking	1 (most recently July 2007)
Lowest Elo ranking	44 (May 1928 February 1930)
Home colours Away colours
First international
Belgium 3–3 France (Brussels, Belgium; 1 May 1904)
Biggest win
France 10–0 Azerbaijan  (Auxerre, France; 6 September 1995)
Biggest defeat
Denmark 17–1 France (London, England; 22 October 1908)
World Cup
Appearances	13 (First in 1930)
Best result	Winners, 1998
European Championship
Appearances	7 (First in 1960)
Best result	Winners, 1984 and 2000
Confederations Cup
Appearances	2 (First in 2001)
Best result	Winners, 2001 and 2003
Honours Men's Football Silver 1900 Paris Team Gold 1984 Los Angeles Team

The France national football team (French: Equipe de France) represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation (French: Fédération Française de Football) and competes as a member of UEFA.

France was one of the four European teams that participated at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and are one of eight national teams to have won the competition, which they did in 1998 when they hosted the Cup. They defeated Brazil 3–0 in the final. France has also won two UEFA European Football Championships, winning the first in 1984, led by Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini, and the most recent in 2000, led by three time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane. Following France's 2001 Confederations Cup victory, they became, along with Argentina, the only national teams to win the three most important men's titles organized by FIFA: the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Confederations Cup, and the Olympic Tournament.

France currently share a competitive rivalry with neighbors Italy, whom they first contested in 1910. The rivalry lay dormant for a while, but re-ignited following the controversial circumstances surrounding Zinedine Zidane's sending-off in the 2006 World Cup final.

History

The France national football team was created in 1904 around the time of FIFA's foundation on 21 May 1904 and contested its first official international match on 1 May 1904 against Belgium, in Brussels, which ended in a 3–3 draw.^[2] The following year, on 12 February 1905, France contested their first ever home match against Switzerland. The match was played at the Parc des Princes in front of 500 supporters. France won the match 1–0 with the only goal coming from Gaston Cyprès. Prior to the FIFA World Cup, the country's major international competition was the Summer Olympics. At the 1908 Summer Olympics, France sent two teams to the competition, a rare occurrence, due to a disagreement between FIFA and the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA), the country's sports union. At the competition, both teams struggled with France B (USFSA) losing in the opening round and France A (FIFA) losing in the following round. Following the Olympics, on 9 May 1908, the French Interfederal Committee (CFI), a rival organization to the USFSA, ruled that FIFA would now be responsible for the club's appearances in forthcoming Olympics Games and not the USFSA. The USFSA disagreed, but due to disorganization in later years, became semi-affiliated with the CFI in 1913. In 1919, the CFI transformed themselves into the French Football Federation. In 1921, the USFSA finally merged with the French Football Federation.

In July 1930, France appeared in the inaugural FIFA World Cup, held in Uruguay. In their first-ever World Cup match, France defeated Mexico 4–1 at the Estadio Pocitos in Montevideo. Lucien Laurent became notable in the match as he scored not only France's first World Cup goal, but the first goal in World Cup history. France later lost 1–0 to fellow group stage opponents Argentina and Chile resulting in the team bowing out in the group stage. The following year saw the first selection of a black player to the national team. Raoul Diagne, who was of Senegalese descent, earned his first cap on 15 February in a 2–1 defeat to Czechoslovakia. Diagne later played with the team at the 1938 FIFA World Cup, alongside Larbi Benbarek, who was the first player of North African origin to play for the national team. At the 1934 FIFA World Cup, France suffered elimination in the opening round. The group stage used in the first World Cup was discarded in favor of a straight knockout tournament. In the opening round match, against Austria, France lost 3–2 following extra time goals from Anton Schall and Josef Bican. On the team's return to Paris, they were greeted as heroes by a crowd of over 4,000 supporters.

France hosted the 1938 FIFA World Cup and reached the quarter-finals before losing 3–1 to the defending champions Italy, who later went on to defend their title. Due to the development of World War II, national team play was put on hold, returned, then was put on hold for a second time before finally returning on a permanent basis following the conclusion of the war. The first suspension of play lasted from 29 January 1940 until 8 March 1942 when France returned to play losing 2–0 to Switzerland. France contested one more match before play was suspended again on 16 March 1942. After over two and a half years of dormancy, France returned to play on Christmas Eve 1944 defeating Belgium 3–1 in Paris.

The 1950s saw France handed its first Golden Generation composed of players such as Just Fontaine, Raymond Kopa, Jean Vincent, Robert Jonquet, Maryan Wisnieski, Thadée Cisowski, and Armand Penverne. At the 1958 FIFA World Cup, France reached the semi-finals losing to Brazil, who won the match 5–2, courtesy of a hat trick from Pelé. In the third place match, France defeated West Germany 6–2 with Fontaine recording four goals, which brought his goal tally in the competition to 13, a World Cup record. The record still stands today. France hosted the inaugural UEFA European Football Championship in 1960 and, for the second straight international tournament, reached the semi-finals. In the round, France faced Yugoslavia and were shocked 5–4 despite being up 4–2 heading into the 75^th minute. In the third-place match, France were defeated 2–0 by the Czechoslovakians.

The 1960s and 70s saw France decline significantly playing under several different managers and failing to qualify for numerous international tournaments. On 25 April 1964, Henri Guérin was officially installed as the team's first manager. Under Guérin, France failed to qualify for the 1962 FIFA World Cup and the 1964 European Nations' Cup. The team did return to major international play following qualification for the 1966 FIFA World Cup. The team lost in the group stage portion of the tournament. Guérin was fired following the World Cup. He was replaced by José Arribas and Jean Snella, who worked as caretaker managers in dual roles. The two only lasted four matches and were replaced by former international Just Fontaine, who only lasted two. Louis Dugauguez succeeded Fontaine and, following his early struggles in qualification for the 1970 FIFA World Cup, was fired. Dugauguez was replaced by Georges Boulogne, who couldn't get the team to the World Cup. Boulogne was later fired following failure to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Boulogne also failed to get the team to UEFA Euro 1972. He was replaced by the Romanian Stefan Kovacs, who became the first and, to this day, only international manager to ever manage the national team. Kovács also turned out to be a disappointment failing to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1976. After two years in charge, he was sacked and replaced with Michel Hidalgo.

Michel Platini guided France to their first ever major tournament title at Euro 84.

Under Hidalgo, France flourished, mainly due to the accolades of playmaker Michel Platini, who, alongside Jean Tigana, Alain Giresse, and Luis Fernández formed the "carré magique" ("Magic Square"), which would haunt opposing defenses beginning at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where France reached the semi-finals setting up a showdown with their rivals, West Germany. The semi-final match-up is considered one of the greatest matches in World Cup history and was marred with controversy. France eventually lost the match on penalties 5–4.^[3]

France earned their first major international honor two years later, winning UEFA Euro 1984, which they hosted. Under the leadership of Platini, who scored a tournament-high nine goals, France defeated Spain 2–0 with Platini and Bruno Bellone scoring the goals. Following the Euro triumph, Hidalgo departed the team and was replaced by former international Henri Michel. France later completed the hat trick when they won gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics football tournament and, a year later, defeated Uruguay 2–0 to win the Artemio Franchi Trophy, an early precursor to the FIFA Confederations Cup. In a span of a year, France were holders of three of the four major international trophies. At the 1986 FIFA World Cup, France were favorites to win the competition, and, for the second consecutive World Cup, reached the semi-finals where they faced West Germany. Again, however, they lost. A 4–2 victory over Belgium gave France third place. A year later, Platini retired from both club and international football.

In 1988, the French Football Federation opened the Clairefontaine National Football Institute. Its opening ceremony was attended by then-President of France, François Mitterrand. Five months after Clairefontaine's opening, manager Henri Michel was fired and was replaced by Michel Platini, who failed to get the team to the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Platini did lead the team to UEFA Euro 1992 and, despite going on an impressive 19-match unbeaten streak prior to the competition, suffered elimination in the group stage. A week after the completion of the tournament, Platini stepped down as manager and was replaced by his assistant Gérard Houllier. Under Houllier, France and its supporters experienced a heartbreaking meltdown after having qualification to the 1994 FIFA World Cup all but secured with two matches to go, which were against last place Israel and Bulgaria. In the match against Israel, France were upset 3–2 and, in the Bulgaria match, suffered an astronomical 2–1 defeat following a monumental and costly mistake by midfielder David Ginola in the last minute of play. The public outcry, following the defeat, led to the firing of Houllier. His assistant Aimé Jacquet was given his post.

Didier Deschamps captained the French team that won both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000.

Under Jacquet, the national team experienced its triumphant years. The squad composed of Didier Deschamps, Laurent Blanc, Emmanuel Petit, Marcel Desailly, and Bixente Lizarazu that failed to reach the 1994 FIFA World Cup were joined by influential youngsters Lilian Thuram, Zinédine Zidane, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Claude Makélélé, and David Trezeguet. The team started off well reaching the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 1996 where they lost 6–5 on penalties to the Czech Republic. After the competition, coach Jacquet adopted a very defensive strategy, which was often derided by supporters. The press also began to attack the team manager, calling his methods "Paleolithic", and claiming that the team had no hope in winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup, which would be hosted in their home country. However, despite the constant criticism, Jacquet and his strategy led the team to World Cup glory defeating Brazil 3–0 in the final at the Stade de France. Jacquet stepped down after the country's World Cup triumph and was succeeded by assistant Roger Lemerre who guided them through UEFA Euro 2000. Led by FIFA World Player of the Year Zidane, France defeated Italy 2–1 in the final. Trezeguet scored the golden goal in extra time after Sylvain Wiltord drew the match in the fifth minute of injury time. The victory gave the team the distinction of being the first national team to hold both the World Cup and Euro titles since West Germany did so in 1974, and it was also the first time that a reigning World Cup winner went on to capture the Euro. Following the result, France were inserted to the prestigious number one spot in the FIFA World Rankings.

France failed to maintain that pace in subsequent tournaments. Although, the team won the Confederations Cup in 2001, France suffered a stunning goalless first round elimination at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. One of the greatest shocks in World Cup history saw France condemned to a 1–0 defeat to debutantes Senegal in the opening game of the tournament. After France finished bottom of the group, Lemerre was dismissed and was replaced by Jacques Santini. A full strength team started out strongly in UEFA Euro 2004, but they were upset in the quarter-finals by the eventual winners Greece. Santini resigned as coach and Raymond Domenech was picked as his replacement.

Zinedine Zidane at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

France struggled in the early qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. This prompted Domenech to persuade members Makélélé, Thuram, and Zidane out of international retirement to help the national team qualify, which they accomplished following a convincing 4–0 win over Cyprus on the final day of qualifying. The team was greeted with modest expectations as it entered the tournament and began slowly drawing with both Switzerland and the Korea Republic in their first two matches. Following a respectable 2–0 win over Togo, France found their form and advanced all the way to the final defeating the likes of Spain, Brazil, and Portugal along the way. At home, when news came of France's victory over Portugal in the semi-finals, there were mass celebrations at the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. France took on Italy in the final and despite controversial disruptions in extra time, France failed to get on the score-sheet and Italy eventually won the penalty shoot-out 5–3 to be crowned champions of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

France started its qualifying round for UEFA Euro 2008 strong and qualified for the tournament, despite two shocking defeats to Scotland. Despite high expectations from supporters, France bowed out during the group stage portion of the tournament after having been placed in the group of death. France's performance at Euro 2008 effectively marked the end of its golden era with Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry remaining with the team following the uneventful Euro performance. Despite pressure from supporters and world media, alike, to fire Domenech, the federation retained him as manager. Just like the team's previous World Cup qualifying campaign, the 2010 campaign got off to a disappointing start with the France suffering disastrous losses and earning uninspired victories. France eventually finished second in the group and earned a spot in the UEFA play-offs against the Republic of Ireland for a place in South Africa. In the first leg, France defeated the Irish 1–0 and in the second leg procured a 1–1 draw, via controversial circumstances, to qualify for the World Cup.

In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, France continued to perform under expectations drawing 0–0 in the team's opening match against Uruguay, despite playing against 10 men for the latter part of the second half. In the team's next match against Mexico, they were soundly defeated 2–0. The next day, striker Nicolas Anelka was dismissed from the national team after reportedly having a dispute, in which obscenities were passed, with team manager Raymond Domenech during half-time of the team's loss to Mexico.^[4] The French Football Federation condemned the actions of Anelka and, following a meeting with the player, Domenech, and team captain Patrice Evra, agreed to send Anelka home.^[5] The following day, Evra got into a heated confrontation with team trainer Robert Duverne with latter having to be restrained by Domenech. The resulting confrontation led to the players returning to the team bus and cancelling practice.^[6] The team's managing director, Jean-Louis Valentin, announced his resignation from his position and the federation the same day stating he was "sickened and disgusted" by the actions of the team.^[7] The team, through Domenech, later released a statement criticizing the federation for sending Anelka home based on reports from the media. The federation responded to the statement by declaring the players' boycott "unacceptable" and apologizing to the world for the conduct of the players. The federation also announced that following the World Cup, the Federal Council would convene to discuss the current state of the team.^[8] On 21 June 2010, the national team returned to training without incident. The following day, France were defeated 2–1 by the hosts South Africa. The result eliminated the team from the competition. The negative publicity the national team received during the competition led to further repercussions back in France. The day after the team's elimination, it was reported by numerous media outlets that the President of France Nicolas Sarkozy would meet with team captain Thierry Henry to discuss the issues associated with the team's meltdown at the World Cup. The meeting was requested by Henry.^[9] On 23 July 2010, following a meeting by the Federal Council of the French Football Federation, all 23 players in the World Cup squad were suspended for the team's upcoming 11 August friendly match against Norway on request of new coach Laurent Blanc.^[10]

On 6 August, five players; captain Patrice Evra, vice-captain Franck Ribéry, striker Nicolas Anelka, midfielder Jérémy Toulalan, and defender Éric Abidal, were summoned to attend a hearing held by the Disciplinary Committee of the French Football Federation in order to determine each player's disciplinary action for their involvement in the World Cup strike.^[11] On 17 August 2010, at the disciplinary hearing, for their roles in the strike, Anelka was banned for 18 games, Evra for five, Ribéry for three, and Toulalan for one. Abidal escaped punishment.^[12][13]

Home stadium

Panorama view of the Stade de France, France's national stadium.

During France's early run of existence, the team's national stadium alternated between the Parc des Princes in Paris and the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes. France also hosted matches at the Stade Pershing, Stade de Paris, and the Stade Buffalo, but to a minimal degree. As the years moved forward, France began hosting matches outside the city of Paris hosting matches at such venues as the Stade Marcel Saupin in Nantes, the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, and the Stade de la Meinau in Strasbourg, to name a few. Following the renovation of the Parc des Princes in 1972, which made the stadium the largest in terms of attendance, France moved into the venue permanently. The team still hosted friendly matches and minor FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championship qualification matches at other venues.

In 1998, the Stade de France was inaugurated as France's national stadium ahead of the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Located in Saint-Denis, a Parisian suburb, the stadium has an all-seater capacity of 81,338. France's first match at the stadium was played on 28 January 1998 against Spain. France won the match 1–0, with Zinedine Zidane scoring the lone goal. Since that match, France has used the stadium for almost every major home game.

Team image

Media coverage

The national team currently has a broadcasting agreement with TF1 Group, who control the country's main national TV channel, TF1. The current agreement was set to expire following the 2010 FIFA World Cup. On 18 December 2009, the Federal Council of the French Football Federation agreed to extend its exclusive broadcasting agreement with the channel. The new deal grants the channel exclusive broadcast rights for the matches of national team, which include friendlies and international games for the next four seasons beginning in August 2010 and ending in June 2014. TF1 will also have extended rights, notably on the Internet, and may also broadcast images of the national team in its weekly program, Téléfoot.^[14] The federation will receive €45 million a season, a €10 million decrease from the €55 million they received from the previous agreement reached in 2006.^[15]

Kit

France's Zinedine Zidane number 10 home shirt

The France national team utilizes a tricolour system, composed of colors blue, red, and white. The team's three colors originate from the national flag of France, known as the drapeau tricolore. France have brandished the colors since their first official international match against Belgium in 1904. Since the team's inception, France normally wear blue shirts, white shorts, and red socks at home, while, when on the road, the team utilizes an all-white combination or wear red shirts, blue shorts, and blue socks with the former being the most current. Between the years 1909–1914, France wore a white shirt with blue stripes, white shorts, and red socks. In a 1978 World Cup match against Hungary in Mar del Plata, both teams arrived at Estadio José María Minella with white kits, so France played in green-and-white striped shirts borrowed from Club Atlético Kimberley.^[16]

Beginning in 1972, France reached an agreement with German sports apparel manufacturer Adidas to be the team's kit provider. Over the next 38 years, the two would maintain a healthy relationship with France winning UEFA Euro 1984, the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2000 while wearing the brand's famous tricolour three stripes. On 22 February 2008, the French Football Federation announced that they were ending their partnership with Adidas and signing with the American manufacturer Nike, effective 1 January 2011. The unprecedented deal is valued at €320 million over seven years (2011–2018) making France's blue shirt the most expensive ever in the history of football.^[17][18]

Nickname

France is often referred to by the media and supporters as Les Bleus (The Blues), which is the nickname associated with all of France's international sporting teams due to the blue shirts each team incorporates. The team is also referred to as Les Tricolores or L'Equipe Tricolore (The Tri-color Team) due to the team's utilization of the country's national colors: red, blue, and white. During the 1980s, France earned the nickname the "Brazilians of Europe" mainly due to the accolades of the "carré magique" ("Magic Square"), who were anchored by Michel Platini. Led by coach Michel Hidalgo, France exhibited an inspiring, elegant, skillful, and technically advanced offensive style of football, which was strikingly similar to their South American counterparts.^[19]

Representing multi-ethnic France

The France national team has long reflected the ethnic diversity of the country. The first black player to play in the national team was Raoul Diagne in 1931. Diagne was the son of the first African elected to the French National Assembly, Blaise Diagne. Seven years later, Diagne played on the 1938 FIFA World Cup team that featured Larbi Benbarek, Abdelkader Ben Bouali, and Michel Brusseaux, who were the first players of North African descent to play for the national team. At the 1958 FIFA World Cup, in which France reached the semi-finals, many sons of immigrants such as Raymond Kopa, Just Fontaine, Roger Piantoni, Maryan Wisnieski and Bernard Chiarelli were integral to the team's success. The tradition has since continued with successful French players such as Marius Trésor, Michel Platini, Jean Tigana, Manuel Amoros, Eric Cantona, Patrick Vieira, David Trezeguet, Claude Makélélé, Samir Nasri, Hatem Ben Arfa, and Karim Benzema all having either one or both of their parents foreign-born.

During the 1990s, the team was widely celebrated as an example of the modern multicultural French ideal.^[20] The 1998 FIFA World Cup-winning team was celebrated and praised for inspiring pride and optimism about the prospects for the "French model" of social integration.^[21] Of the 23 players on the team, the squad featured players who could trace their origins to Armenia, Algeria, Guadeloupe, New Caledonia, Argentina, Ghana, Senegal, Italy, French Guyana, Portugal, Spain, Martinique and the Basque Country with the patriarch of the team being Zinédine Zidane, who was born in Marseille to Algerian immigrants.

The multiracial makeup of the team has, at times, provoked controversy. In recent years, critics on the far right of the French political spectrum have taken issue with the proportional under-representation of white Frenchmen within the team. National Front politician Jean-Marie Le Pen protested in 1998 that the Black, Blanc, Beur team that won the World Cup did not look sufficiently French. In 2002, led by Ghanaian-born Marcel Desailly, the French team unanimously and publicly appealed to the French voting public to reject the presidential candidacy of Le Pen and, instead, return President Jacques Chirac to office. In 2006, Le Pen resumed his criticism charging that coach Raymond Domenech had selected too many black players.^[22] In 2005, French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut caused controversy by remarking to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that despite its earlier slogan, "the French national team is in fact black-black-black," and also adding that "France is made fun of all around Europe because of that." He later excused himself from the comments declaring that they were not meant to be offensive.^[23]

The Zidane-Materazzi headbutt incident in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final and its aftermath served as a symbol for the larger issue of Europe's struggle to integrate its non-white immigrant population. Even though both players denied racism was involved in the exchange, the international media speculated for days about the presence of a racist element in the provocation from Materazzi observing that the Italian team contained no ethnic minorities.^[24][25][26]

The national team's overall impact on France's efforts to integrate its minorities and come to terms with its colonial past has been mixed. In 2001, France played a friendly match at the Stade de France, site of its 1998 World Cup triumph, against Algeria. It was the country's first meeting with its former colony, with whom it had fought a war from 1954–1962, and it proved controversial. France's national anthem, La Marseillaise, was booed by Algerian supporters before the game, and following a French goal that made the score 4–1 in the second half, spectators ran onto the field of play, which caused play to be suspended. It was never resumed.

Players

For a complete list of French international football players with a Wikipedia article, see here.

Current squad

The following players were called up to participate in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches against Belarus and Bosnia and Herzegovina that was played on 3 September and 7 September 2010, respectively.^[27] Defender Anthony Réveillère and midfielder Yohan Cabaye were called up to the team as late replacements for the injured Lassana Diarra.^[28] On 1 September, Cabaye dropped out of the team due to a thigh injury. He was replaced in the team by Blaise Matuidi.^[29] On 3 September, Florent Malouda was named as captain of the team for the qualifying match against Belarus, while Alou Diarra captained the team in the ensuing match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.^[30]

On 4 September, forwards Loïc Rémy, Louis Saha, and Guillaume Hoarau were withdrawn from the team after medical examinations revealed injuries that prevented the players from appearing for the team against Bosnia and Herzegovina.^[31] Lyon striker Jimmy Briand was called up as a replacement.^[32]

Caps and goals as of 7 September 2010, after the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Hugo Lloris 26 December 1986 (1986-12-26) (age 24) 16 0 Lyon 16 GK Steve Mandanda 28 March 1985 (1985-03-28) (age 25) 13 0 Marseille 23 GK Cédric Carrasso 30 December 1981 (1981-12-30) (age 29) 0 0 Bordeaux 2 DF Bacary Sagna 14 February 1983 (1983-02-14) (age 28) 25 0 Arsenal 3 DF Mamadou Sakho 13 February 1990 (1990-02-13) (age 21) 0 0 Paris Saint-Germain 4 DF Adil Rami 27 December 1985 (1985-12-27) (age 25) 3 0 Lille 5 DF Philippe Mexès 30 March 1982 (1982-03-30) (age 28) 16 0 Roma 12 DF Benoît Trémoulinas 28 December 1985 (1985-12-28) (age 25) 0 0 Bordeaux 13 DF Anthony Réveillère 10 November 1979 (1979-11-10) (age 31) 6 0 Lyon 22 DF Gaël Clichy 28 July 1985 (1985-07-28) (age 25) 7 0 Arsenal 15 MF Florent Malouda 13 June 1980 (1980-06-13) (age 30) 59 5 Chelsea 17 MF Yann M'Vila 29 June 1990 (1990-06-29) (age 20) 3 0 Rennes 18 MF Alou Diarra (c) 15 July 1981 (1981-07-15) (age 29) 27 0 Bordeaux 19 MF Abou Diaby 11 May 1986 (1986-05-11) (age 24) 10 0 Arsenal 20 MF Mathieu Valbuena 28 September 1984 (1984-09-28) (age 26) 5 1 Marseille 21 MF Blaise Matuidi 9 April 1987 (1987-04-09) (age 23) 1 0 Saint-Étienne 7 FW Jimmy Briand 2 August 1985 (1985-08-02) (age 25) 4 0 Lyon 8 FW Jérémy Menez 7 May 1987 (1987-05-07) (age 23) 2 0 Roma 10 FW Karim Benzema 19 December 1987 (1987-12-19) (age 23) 29 9 Real Madrid 11 FW Kevin Gameiro 9 May 1987 (1987-05-09) (age 23) 1 0 Lorient

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for France within the past 12 months. Players that have retired from the national team and are not available for selection anymore are not displayed.

Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club Latest Callup GK Nicolas Douchez 22 April 1980 (1980-04-22) (age 30) 0 0 Rennes v.  Norway, 11 August 2010 GK Stéphane Ruffier 27 September 1986 (1986-09-27) (age 24) 1 0 Monaco v.  Norway, 11 August 2010 GK Mickaël Landreau 14 May 1979 (1979-05-14) (age 31) 11 0 Lille v.  Costa Rica, 26 May 2010 DF Rod Fanni 6 December 1981 (1981-12-06) (age 29) 5 0 Rennes v.  Norway, 11 August 2010 DF Mathieu Debuchy 28 July 1985 (1985-07-28) (age 25) 0 0 Lille v.  Norway, 11 August 2010 DF Aly Cissokho 15 September 1987 (1987-09-15) (age 23) 1 0 Lyon v.  Norway, 11 August 2010 DF Éric Abidal 11 September 1979 (1979-09-11) (age 31) 57 0 Barcelona 2010 FIFA World Cup DF William Gallas 17 August 1977 (1977-08-17) (age 33) 84 5 Tottenham Hotspur 2010 FIFA World Cup DF Marc Planus 3 July 1982 (1982-07-03) (age 28) 1 0 Bordeaux 2010 FIFA World Cup DF Patrice Evra 15 May 1981 (1981-05-15) (age 29) 32 0 Manchester United 2010 FIFA World Cup DF Sébastien Squillaci 11 August 1980 (1980-08-11) (age 30) 21 0 Arsenal 2010 FIFA World Cup DF Michaël Ciani 6 April 1984 (1984-04-06) (age 26) 1 0 Bordeaux v.  Spain, 3 March 2010 DF Julien Escudé 17 August 1979 (1979-08-17) (age 31) 13 0 Sevilla v.  Spain, 3 March 2010 DF Jean-Alain Boumsong 14 December 1979 (1979-12-14) (age 31) 27 1 Panathinaikos v.  Spain, 3 March 2010 MF Yohan Cabaye 14 January 1986 (1986-01-14) (age 25) 1 0 Lille v.  Belarus, 3 September 2010 MF Lassana Diarra 10 March 1985 (1985-03-10) (age 25) 28 0 Real Madrid v.  Belarus, 3 September 2010 MF Moussa Sissoko 16 August 1989 (1989-08-16) (age 21) 3 0 Toulouse v.  Norway, 11 August 2010 MF Charles N'Zogbia 26 May 1986 (1986-05-26) (age 24) 1 0 Wigan Athletic v.  Norway, 11 August 2010 MF Samir Nasri 27 June 1987 (1987-06-27) (age 23) 16 2 Arsenal v.  Norway, 11 August 2010 MF Franck Ribéry 7 April 1983 (1983-04-07) (age 27) 48 7 Bayern Munich 2010 FIFA World Cup MF Yoann Gourcuff 11 July 1986 (1986-07-11) (age 24) 22 1 Lyon 2010 FIFA World Cup MF Jérémy Toulalan 10 September 1983 (1983-09-10) (age 27) 36 0 Lyon 2010 FIFA World Cup MF Benoît Cheyrou 3 May 1981 (1981-05-03) (age 29) 0 0 Marseille v.  Spain, 3 March 2010 FW Loïc Rémy 2 January 1987 (1987-01-02) (age 24) 3 0 Marseille v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 7 September 2010 FW Guillaume Hoarau 5 March 1984 (1984-03-05) (age 26) 2 0 Paris Saint-Germain v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 7 September 2010 FW Louis Saha 8 August 1978 (1978-08-08) (age 32) 19 4 Everton v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 7 September 2010 FW Hatem Ben Arfa 7 March 1987 (1987-03-07) (age 23) 8 2 Newcastle United v.  Norway, 11 August 2010 FW Djibril Cissé 12 August 1981 (1981-08-12) (age 29) 40 9 Panathinaikos 2010 FIFA World Cup FW Sidney Govou 27 July 1979 (1979-07-27) (age 31) 49 10 Panathinaikos 2010 FIFA World Cup FW André-Pierre Gignac 5 December 1985 (1985-12-05) (age 25) 16 4 Marseille 2010 FIFA World Cup FW Bafétimbi Gomis 6 August 1985 (1985-08-06) (age 25) 5 2 Lyon v.  Austria, 14 October 2009

Previous squads

Results

Friendly

11 August 2010	Norway	2 – 1	France	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo
21:15 CET	Huseklepp  51', 71'	Report	Ben Arfa  48'	Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain)

UEFA Euro 2012 qualification

Group Stage 3 September 2010	France	0 – 1	Belarus	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
21:00 CET		Report	Kislyak  85'	Attendance: 76,395 Referee: William Collum (Scotland)

Group Stage 7 September 2010	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0 – 2	France	Asim Ferhatović Hase, Sarajevo
21:00 CET		Report	Benzema  72' Malouda  78'	Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

Group Stage 9 October 2010	France	–	Romania	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
				Referee: TBD

Group Stage 12 October 2010	France	–	Luxembourg	Stade Saint-Symphorien, Metz
				Referee: TBD

Friendly

17 November 2010	England	–	France	Wembley Stadium, London
				Referee: TBD

9 February 2011	France	–	Brazil	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
				Referee: TBD

UEFA Euro 2012 qualification

Group Stage 25 March 2011	Luxembourg	–	France	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City
				Referee: TBD

Friendly

29 March 2011	France	–	TBD	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
				Referee: TBD

UEFA Euro 2012 qualification

Group Stage 3 June 2011	Belarus	–	France	Dinamo Stadium, Minsk
				Referee: TBD

Friendly

7 June 2011	Ukraine	–	France	TBD
				Referee: TBD

UEFA Euro 2012 qualification

Group Stage 2 September 2011	Albania	–	France	Qemal Stafa, Tirana
				Referee: TBD

Group Stage 6 September 2011	Romania	–	France	Stadionul Naţional, Bucharest
				Referee: TBD

Group Stage 7 October 2011	France	–	Albania	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
				Referee: TBD

Group Stage 11 October 2011	France	–	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Stade de France, Saint-Denis
				Referee: TBD

Last updated: 19 July 2010
Source: Calendar

Coaching staff

As of 1 July 2010.^[33]

Laurent Blanc, the current manager of the France national football team.

Position	Name	Nationality
Manager	Laurent Blanc	French
Assistant manager	Jean-Louis Gasset	French
Assistant manager	Alain Boghossian	French
Goalkeeper coach	Franck Raviot	French
Fitness coach	Philippe Lambert	French
Doctor	Fabrice Bryand	French
Kinesiotherapy	Alain Soultanian	French
Kinesiotherapy	François Darras	French
Kinesiotherapy	Jacques Thébault	French
Managing Director	Marino Faccioli	French

Competitive record

For single-match results of the national team, see French football single-season articles.

FIFA World Cup record

France was one of the four European teams that participated at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and have appeared in 13 FIFA World Cups, tied for fifth-best. The national team is one of eight national teams to have won at least one FIFA World Cup title. The France team won their first and only World Cup title in 1998. The tournament was played on home soil and France defeated Brazil 3–0 in the final match. In 2006, France finished as runners-up losing 5–3 on penalties to Italy. The team has also finished in third place on two occasions in 1958 and 1986 and in fourth place once in 1982. The team's worst result in the competition was a first-round elimination in 2002 and 2010. In 2002, the team suffered an unexpected loss to Senegal and departed the tournament without scoring a goal, while in 2010, France suffered defeats to Mexico and South Africa and earned a point from a draw with Uruguay.^[34][35]

Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1930	Group Stage	7th	3	1	0	2	4	3
1934	First Round	9th	1	0	0	1	2	3
1938	Quarter-Final	6th	2	1	0	1	4	4
1950	Did not qualify
1954	Group Stage	11th	2	1	0	1	3	3
1958	Third Place	3rd	6	4	0	2	23	15
1962	Did not qualify
1966	Group Stage	13th	3	0	1	2	2	5
1970	Did not qualify
1974
1978	Group Stage	12th	3	1	0	2	5	5
1982	Fourth Place	4th	7	3	2	2	16	12
1986	Third Place	3rd	7	4	2	1	12	6
1990	Did not qualify
1994
1998	Champions	1st	7	6	1	0	15	2
2002	Group Stage	28	3	0	1	2	0	3
2006	Runners-up	2nd	7	4	3	0	9	3
2010	Group Stage	29	3	0	1	2	1	4
2014
Total	13/20	1 Title	54	25	11	18	96	68

UEFA European Championship record

France is one of the most successful nations at the UEFA European Football Championship having won two titles in 1984 and 2000. The team is tied with Spain and only trails Germany who have won three titles. France hosted the inaugural competition in 1960 and have appeared in seven UEFA European Championship tournament, tied for fourth-best. The team won their first title on home soil in 1984 and were led by Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini. In 2000, the team, led by FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, won its second title in Belgium and the Netherlands. The team's worst result in the competition was a first-round elimination in 1992 and 2008.

Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1960	Fourth Place	4th	2	0	0	2	4	7
1964	Did not qualify
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984	Champions	1st	5	5	0	0	14	4
1988	Did not qualify
1992	Group Stage	6th	3	0	2	1	2	3
1996	Semi-Final	4th	5	2	3	0	5	2
2000	Champions	1st	6	5	0	1	13	7
2004	Quarter-Final	5th	4	2	1	1	7	5
2008	Group Stage	15th	3	0	1	2	1	6
2012
2016	Qualified
Total	7/15	2 Titles	28	14	7	7	46	34

FIFA Confederations Cup record

France have appeared in two of the five FIFA Confederations Cups contested and won the competition on both appearances. The team's two titles place in second place only trailing Brazil who have won three. France won their first Confederations Cup in 2001 having appeared in the competition as a result of winning the FIFA World Cup in 1998 . The team defeated Japan 1–0 in the final match. In the following Confederations Cup in 2003, France, appearing in the competition due to winning UEFA Euro 2000 and because of their duties as host, won the competition beating Cameroon 1–0 after extra time.

Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1992	Did not qualify
1995
1997
1999	Withdrew
2001	Champions	1st	5	4	0	1	12	2
2003	Champions	1st	5	5	0	0	12	3
2005	Did not qualify
2009
2013	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Total	2/8	2 Titles	10	9	0	1	24	5

*Draws include knockout matches decided by penalty shootout.

**Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won. Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Titles

Preceded by 1994 Brazil	World Champions 1998 (First title)	Succeeded by 2002 Brazil
Preceded by 1999 Mexico	Confederations Cup Winners 2001 (First title) 2003 (Second title)	Succeeded by 2005 Brazil
Preceded by 1980 West Germany	European Champions 1984 (First title)	Succeeded by 1988 Netherlands
Preceded by 1996 Germany	European Champions 2000 (Second title)	Succeeded by 2004 Greece
Preceded by Inaugural Event	Artemio Franchi Trophy 1985 (First title)	Succeeded by 1993 Argentina
Preceded by 1993 Hungary	Kirin Cup Champions 1994 (First title)	Succeeded by 1995 Japan
Preceded by 1996 Croatia	King Hassan II Cup Winners 1998 (First title) 2000 (Second title)	Succeeded by Incumbent

Minor titles

• Football at the Summer Olympics:

• Gold Medal (1): 1984
• Silver Medal (1): 1900

• Tournoi de France:
  • Winners (1): 1988

• Nelson Mandela Inauguration Challenge Cup:
  • Winners (1): 2000

• Nasazzi's Baton:
  • Winners (7): 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1991, 2001

Statistics

Most capped French players

     Still active national team players are highlighted

Last updated: 22 June 2010
Source: RSSSF

Top France goalscorers

Last updated: 22 June 2010
Source: RSSSF

Managers

Manager	France career	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %
Guérin, HenriHenri Guérin	1964–1966	&000000000000001500000015	&00000000000000050000005	&00000000000000040000004	&00000000000000060000006	&000000000000003329999933.3
Arribas, JoséJosé Arribas and Snella, JeanJean Snella	1966	&00000000000000040000004	&00000000000000020000002	&00000000000000000000000	&00000000000000020000002	&000000000000005000000050.0
Fontaine, JustJust Fontaine	1967	&00000000000000020000002	&00000000000000000000000	&00000000000000000000000	&00000000000000020000002	&0&00000000000000000000000.0
Dugauguez, LouisLouis Dugauguez	1967–1968	&00000000000000090000009	&00000000000000020000002	&00000000000000030000003	&00000000000000040000004	&000000000000002219999922.2
Boulogne, GeorgesGeorges Boulogne	1969–1973	&000000000000003100000031	&000000000000001500000015	&00000000000000050000005	&000000000000001100000011	&000000000000004839999948.4
Kovács, ŞtefanŞtefan Kovács	1973–1975	&000000000000001500000015	&00000000000000060000006	&00000000000000040000004	&00000000000000050000005	&000000000000004000000040.0
Hidalgo, MichelMichel Hidalgo	1976–1984	&000000000000007500000075	&000000000000004100000041	&000000000000001600000016	&000000000000001800000018	&000000000000005470000054.7
Michel, HenriHenri Michel	1984–1988	&000000000000003600000036	&000000000000001600000016	&000000000000001200000012	&00000000000000080000008	&000000000000004439999944.4
Platini, MichelMichel Platini	1988–1992	&000000000000002900000029	&000000000000001600000016	&00000000000000080000008	&00000000000000050000005	&000000000000005520000055.2
Houllier, GérardGérard Houllier	1992–1993	&000000000000001200000012	&00000000000000070000007	&00000000000000010000001	&00000000000000040000004	&000000000000005829999958.3
Jacquet, AiméAimé Jacquet	1994–1998	&000000000000005300000053	&000000000000003400000034	&000000000000001600000016	&00000000000000030000003	&000000000000006420000064.2
Lemerre, RogerRoger Lemerre	1998–2002	&000000000000005300000053	&000000000000003400000034	&000000000000001100000011	&00000000000000080000008	&000000000000006420000064.2
Santini, JacquesJacques Santini	2002–2004	&000000000000002800000028	&000000000000002200000022	&00000000000000040000004	&00000000000000020000002	&000000000000007859999978.6
Domenech, RaymondRaymond Domenech	2004–2010	&000000000000007900000079	&000000000000004100000041	&000000000000002400000024	&000000000000001400000014	&000000000000005189999951.9
Blanc, LaurentLaurent Blanc	2010–	&00000000000000030000003	&00000000000000010000001	&00000000000000000000000	&00000000000000020000002	&000000000000003329999933.3

Managers in italics were hired as caretakers

See also

• France women's national football team
• France national under-21 football team
• France national youth football team
• French Guiana national football team
• Guadeloupe national football team
• Martinique national football team
• New Caledonia national football team
• Réunion national football team
• Saint-Martin national football team
• Tahiti national football team

References

External links

• France National Football Team Official Website (French)
• France National Football Team Database 1994-Nowadays (French)
• France national football team Profile, Stats and Analytics (English) (French)
• France National Football Team Database (French)
• France National Football Team (French)
• IFFHS Archive:1904–1910
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
• RSSSF archive of coaches 1960–

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