The reigning world champions stepped onto the field in Qatar 2022 to defend their title, opening with a convincing victory over Australia.
France entered the tournament as one of the favorites, carrying the weight of expectations as defending champions. The squad was stocked with top-tier talent and a clear mission: to lift the World Cup for a third time. Didier Deschamps managed a group featuring Kylian Mbappé, Jules Koundé, Raphaël Varane, and Theo Hernández, all tasked with delivering the kind of performance that would etch France’s name in World Cup history once again. Anything short of glory would be seen as a setback for the defending champions.
In 2022, the team largely focused on European competition, and results in the European League of Nations did not fully meet expectations. The calendar began with friendly wins against Ivory Coast and South Africa, 2-1 and 5-0 respectively. In UEFA’s official tournament play, France faced tough challenges, drawing with Denmark and Croatia, and also sharing a draw with Austria before a narrow loss to Croatia. As a result, they found themselves positioned lower in Group 1 than anticipated.
Before arriving in Qatar, the Gauls regrouped with matches against Austria (2-0) and Denmark (0-2) in late September. Their World Cup campaign commenced on November 22 with a strong win against Australia, where Olivier Giroud scored and Benzema’s return from injury provided a welcome boost to the squad. This match kicked off France’s Group D path, which also included Denmark and Tunisia. The team’s ambition remained unchanged: to chase the world title across a demanding tournament landscape.
World Cup Qatar 2022: format, schedule, and participating teams
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THE CALENDAR OF FRANCE IN 2022
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