why will the Blues also have an eye on Belgium-Italy?

Only two matches left and the France team will be fixed on its ranking in the Nations League, where it shares group 2 with Belgium, Italy and Israel. It is this last nation that it will face on Thursday (8:45 p.m.). At the same time, Belgium will host Italy in Brussels. La Nazionale leads the group with 10 points, ahead of France (9), Belgium (4) and Israel (0). The first two are qualified for the quarter-finals of the League of Nations scheduled for March 2025. The 3rd will play in the play-offs to avoid going down to League B. The last is directly relegated there.

If the Blues win or draw against Israel, they will be guaranteed to finish in the top two of their group. The same in the event of defeat provided that Belgium does not beat Italy. Which would take some pressure off when Didier Deschamps’ men travel to Milan on Sunday. Furthermore, a poor Italian performance this Thursday could allow France to take the lead in the group, and therefore settle for a draw against its transalpine rival on Sunday.

Win your group, a wild card for the 2026 World Cup

Finishing 1st in the group is not anecdotal. First, this means that the Blues would face a 2nd group in the quarter-finals of the League of Nations in a two-legged confrontation, and that they would host in the return match. This is often seen as an advantage. Second interesting point: the four best group winners will be entitled to a wild card in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

During these qualifiers, you will have to finish 1st in your group to be directly qualified for the World Cup, or finish 2nd and compete in the play-offs. But the four best winners of a Nations League group who did not finish high enough during the qualifiers will also be invited to these play-offs. A sort of safety net, although it would be a bit embarrassing for a nation like France to have to rely on that.