Didier Deschamps' France team will be among the top seeds in the draw for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in two weeks, but the Blues could fall on hard times.
While qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is well underway across the four corners of the world, the qualifiers in the Europe zone will not begin until next June. Fifa will carry out the draw for the European qualifiers on Friday December 13 in Zurich (12 p.m.). To obtain the 16 European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, 12 groups of four or five teams will be formed. All the first ones will pocket their sesame for North America. The second 12 will compete in the play-offs with four drafted via the Nations League. The French team is already guaranteed to be a barrier in the event of non-qualification.
France is second in the Fifa Ranking and will therefore be among the top seeds in the draw in two and a half weeks, along with Spain, England, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria. Selections that the Blues will not face. The great nations of the Old Continent will start from a position of strength and will have no excuse in the event of non-qualification. Even if, in a group of four or five, a poor performance or two can suddenly put a favorite in a bad position.
The French team facing Erling Haaland?
Hat 2 can thus offer a strong opponent for Didier Deschamps and his men. We find Sweden from the duo Alexander Isak-Viktor Gyökeres, Norway Erling Haaland and Alexander Sorloth or even Poland from Robert Lewandowski and Serbia from Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Nations League allows the selections to face teams of their level and Czech Republic, Wales, Romania and North Macedonia (which will be in pot 3) have excellent results dynamics. Georgia coached by Willy Sagnol will also be in pot 3.
Note that the quarter-finalists of the League of Nations including
the French team (who will challenge Croatia next March in a round trip) will not know exactly their qualifying group for the next World Cup. They will have two options. The winners of the quarters will be inserted into groups of 4 and those eliminated can find themselves in a group of 4 or a group of 5 (for the first two qualifying matches in June 2025).
France
