Every World Cup needs a team that just doesn't look rattled — and at the 2026 edition, that team is France. While the tournament has already chewed up and spat out sides who arrived with serious reputations, Didier Deschamps' squad have been doing what France do: looking composed, looking loaded, and looking like the only team in the draw who actually expected to be here.
The 2026 World Cup has not gone to script. Upsets have stacked up, favourites have wobbled, and the expanded format has given underdogs more runway than ever to cause damage. That context matters — because France's consistency hasn't come in a vacuum. It's come against a backdrop of genuine chaos, which makes it land harder.
According to The Athletic, Deschamps has a squad described as full of outstanding talent — and the argument being made is that France, right now, look like the clear favourites to lift the trophy. That's editorial judgement from one outlet, not a confirmed fact, and World Cups have a habit of humbling anyone who gets too comfortable. But when a publication with The Athletic's football coverage makes that call, it's worth taking seriously — and they're not alone. Both BBC Sport and ESPN FC have similarly flagged France as the standout side of the tournament so far, pointing to their composure and squad depth as the qualities separating them from the field. Three major outlets, same conclusion: hard to dismiss.
Deschamps has been here before — 2018 winner, 2022 finalist, perennial tournament presence. The knock on France for years was that they had the talent but not always the cohesion, that the squad was too big, the egos too loud, the system too cautious. That conversation has gone quiet.
What Deschamps has built is a squad with depth at every position and, crucially, the kind of collective discipline that doesn't crack when a tournament gets strange around it. When other nations have been firefighting — rotation headaches, injury scares, early-round scares — France have moved through the draw with the air of a side that already knows how this ends.
Deschamps, for his part, has never been the most expressive touchline presence. He watches. He adjusts. He doesn't panic. At a chaotic World Cup, that temperament is worth more than any tactical innovation.
The Athletic's framing is compelling, but 'unstoppable' is a word that World Cups tend to test to destruction. France have the squad. They have the manager. They have the momentum. What they don't have yet is the trophy — and between here and there, someone in this tournament will fancy their chances of being the upset that defines the whole thing.
For now, though: France are the team everyone else is looking at. In a World Cup full of noise, that kind of quiet dominance is its own statement.
Every World Cup needs a team that just doesn't look rattled — and at the 2026 edition, that team is France. While the tournament has already chewed up and spat out sides who arrived with serious reputations, Didier…
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The Athletic — Football
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