Australia begins its FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ against reigning champions and tournament heavyweights France on Wednesday, 23 November (6:00am AEDT).
We take a closer look and put Les Bleus under the microscope ahead of our opening clash at Al Janoub Stadium.
READ MORE: FIFA World Cup Opposition Spotlight: Tunisia
READ MORE: FIFA World Cup Opposition Spotlight: Denmark
Current FIFA Ranking: 4
FIFA World Cup Appearances: 16 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
FIFA World Cup Finals
Most Games: Fabien Barthez, Thierry Henry – 17
Most Goals: Just Fontaine – 13
FIFA World Cup Winners: 2 (1998, 2018)
FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualification Record
Played: 8
Wins: 5
Draws: 3
Losses: 0
Goals scored: 18
Goals conceded: 3
France cruised through its qualifying campaign, finishing six points clear of runners-up Ukraine in UEFA Group D which consisted of Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kazakhstan. Antoine Griezmann finished as the top goal scorer for France with six goals.
Key players
Boasting an abundance of world-class talent, France is not short of star power. Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann immediately spring to mind from an attacking perspective. The trio are expected to play integral roles if France are to go deep in the tournament and ultimately try and defend their status as world champions. Ballon d'Or winner Benzema missed the previous tournament in Russia, so will no doubt be determined to make up for lost time.
However, there are some injury concerns with N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba reportedly set to miss the World Cup with respective hamstring and knee injuries. Raphael Varane will also come into the tournament under an injury cloud after sustaining a knee injury for Manchester United.
Though despite the potential absentees, France has an enormous amount of depth right across the pitch which could see opportunities for the likes of Real Madrid midfield duo Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga.
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Head Coach
Didier Deschamps has been at the helm since 2012 and heading into a record fifth successive major tournament as French boss. In 2018, the 54-year-old became the third person to win the Jules Rimet Trophy both as a player and manager after Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer. Indeed, Deschamps was captain of Les Bleus as they won the tournament on home soil in 1998 and then clinched the UEFA European Championship two years later.
The former Marseille and Juventus defensive midfielder is known for adopting a more pragmatic playing style, with a compact foundation which relies more so on individual quality rather than a free-flowing, expansive system.
Previous Meeting
Australia and France have encountered on five previous occasions and last met in the group stage of the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018™. On that sunny afternoon in Kazan, a gallant Socceroos outfit succumbed to a 2-1 loss.
Opta Facts
- France have qualified for their 16th FIFA World Cup. It’s their seventh appearance in a row, their longest ever consecutive run of participations.
- France have won the FIFA World Cup on two occasions, in 1998 and 2018. However, no side has won back-to-back tournaments since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
- Since 1998, France have reached the final of the FIFA World Cup in three of the six editions (1998, 2006, 2018), more than any other team in this time.
- Reigning world champions have won their opening match in just three of the last 12 editions of the FIFA World Cup (D4 L5) – Germany in 1994, and Brazil in both 1998 and 2006.
- Since the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo is the only European player to have scored and assisted more goals (17 in 18 games) than Antoine Griezmann (15 in 23 games) at major international tournaments (World Cup and European Championship combined).
- This is Didier Deschamps’ fifth consecutive major tournament as France head-coach, a record for the nation. He is part of a group of three to win the World Cup both as player and manager after Mário Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer – he captained France to victory in 1998, playing in six of his team’s seven games, before lifting the trophy as manager in 2018.
- This is the first time France have qualified for a major tournament (World Cup + EURO) without losing a single match (W5, D3) since the 2006 World Cup qualifiers (W5, D5).
- France will play their 16th World Cup; only Germany (20 – including this edition) and Italy (18) have made more amongst European teams.
- France will be participating in their 14th consecutive major tournament (World Cup + EURO); Les Bleus have not been absent from a major international tournament since the 1994 World Cup in the USA.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ - Australia's Group D Matches
France v Australia
Date: Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Venue: Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Kick-off: 6:00am (AEDT)
Watch: Live and Free on SBS and SBS On Demand
Tunisia v Australia
Date: Saturday, 26 November 2022
Venue: Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Kick-off: 9:00pm (AEDT)
Watch: Live and Free on SBS and SBS On Demand
Australia v Denmark
Date: Thursday, 1 December 2022
Venue: Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah
Kick-off: 2:00am (AEDT)
Watch: Live and Free on SBS and SBS On Demand