With Spain, the French team is the favorite to win the 2026 World Cup. The offensive potential of the Blues, as well as its recent past in major competitions, justify this status.
According to a barometer from the Odoxa polling institute published at the end of March, 40% of French people see Didier Deschamps’ men winning the competition on July 11. Maxime Chanot is not part of the clan of optimists.
“It stinks of 2002… We expect too much from the Blues, it smells like failure like in South Korea. There is a lot of waiting and I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t complete it. I fear the imbalance between the attacking line and the defensive line,” imagined the former Los Angeles FC player, converted into a sports consultant, on the airwaves of RMC.
World Cup 2026, the ghost of 2002 hovers
During this World Cup organized jointly by Japan and South Korea, the Blues lost to everyone’s surprise the opening match against Senegal (0-1). They then drew against Uruguay (0-0) before losing against Denmark (0-2).
Exited in the first round even though it was the title holder and winner of Euro 2000, the French team had not scored a single goal during the tournament. This premature elimination was largely explained by injuries and the poor form of the team’s executives. ZinĂ©dine Zidane, injured in the thigh before the tournament, was only able to play the last match against Denmark, being very weak.
