Didier Deschamps Only Names 25 Players In France's World Cup Squad
France manager Didier Deschamps named his World Cup squad on Wednesday and it left a lot of fans and reporters scratching their heads.
New tournament rules allow managers to pick 26 players, increased from 23 at previous World Cups.
But Deschamps named just 25 players in his squad.
He later said at a press conference: "There is enough security with 25 players."
Eleven of those 25 players were part of the group that won the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
One of those 11 was Raphael Varane, who has been called up despite carrying an injury that has seen him miss Manchester United's last four matches.
But France's midfield will look very different to how it did in Russia.
With Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante both unavailable due to injuries, Deschamps has called up Eduardo Camavinga, Youssouf Fofana, Matteo Guendouzi, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jordan Veretout as his central options.
France will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia on November 22, before playing Denmark four days later. Tunisia are the other team in France's group.
| France Squad For Qatar 2022 |
|---|
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Rennes) |
Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris St-Germain), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Raphael Varane (Manchester United) |
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Matteo Guendouzi (Marseille), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Jordan Veretout (Marseille) |
Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Kylian Mbappe (Paris St-Germain), Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) |
France manager Didier Deschamps pictured during his squad announcement ahead of the 2022 World Cup
IMAGO/PanoramiC/Anthony Dibon/IconSport