{"id":17488,"date":"2026-07-17T20:28:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:58:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/?p=17488"},"modified":"2026-07-17T20:28:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T14:58:46","slug":"france-at-fifa-world-cup-2026-a-brilliant-campaign-a-worthy-exit-and-one-last-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/france-at-fifa-world-cup-2026-a-brilliant-campaign-a-worthy-exit-and-one-last-dance\/","title":{"rendered":"France at FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122: A Brilliant Campaign, a Worthy Exit, and One Last Dance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>They were, for most of this tournament, the best team in the world. Three knockout clean sheets. Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 rewriting the record books. Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 scoring a hat-trick in 32 minutes. An attacking unit so well-organised that nobody could find a way to stop it \u2014 until <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/spain\/spain-squad\">Spain <\/a>did in Dallas, and the dream was over. France exited the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 at the semi-final stage. One match remains: a 3rd Place play-off against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/england\/england-squad\">England<\/a>. But before that, it is worth acknowledging everything this French side produced.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_73 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-black ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Page Contents:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #282fff;color:#282fff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/france-at-fifa-world-cup-2026-a-brilliant-campaign-a-worthy-exit-and-one-last-dance\/#A_Campaign_Built_on_Mbappe_and_their_attacking_prowess\" title=\"A Campaign Built on Mbapp\u00e9 and their attacking prowess\">A Campaign Built on Mbapp\u00e9 and their attacking prowess<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/france-at-fifa-world-cup-2026-a-brilliant-campaign-a-worthy-exit-and-one-last-dance\/#The_Night_Spain_Had_No_Answer_For\" title=\"The Night Spain Had No Answer For\">The Night Spain Had No Answer For<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/france-at-fifa-world-cup-2026-a-brilliant-campaign-a-worthy-exit-and-one-last-dance\/#The_Players_Who_Made_This_Tournament\" title=\"The Players Who Made This Tournament\">The Players Who Made This Tournament<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/france-at-fifa-world-cup-2026-a-brilliant-campaign-a-worthy-exit-and-one-last-dance\/#Deschamps_The_End_of_an_Era\" title=\"Deschamps: The End of an Era\">Deschamps: The End of an Era<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Watch France vs England in the <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\"><i>FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122<\/i><\/a><i> 3rd Place match live on ZEE 5 \u2014 <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/myaccount\/subscription?plan-ref=0-11-7467&amp;asset-ref=0-6-4z5914493&amp;visibility=SELECTED&amp;context=FIFA\"><i>ZEE5 FIFA Subscription <\/i><\/a><i>to the Quarterly Plan at \u20b9799 and stream every match in India.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Campaign_Built_on_Mbappe_and_their_attacking_prowess\"><\/span><b>A Campaign Built on Mbapp\u00e9 and their attacking prowess<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>France&#8217;s journey to the semi-final was built on a foundation that looked almost unshakeable. In the opening match against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/senegal\/senegal-squad\">Senegal<\/a>, Mbapp\u00e9 scored his 58th international goal \u2014 overtaking Olivier Giroud to become France&#8217;s all-time leading scorer. It was a statement of what this tournament would mean for him personally. Against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/norway\/norway-squad\">Norway<\/a>, with both sides already qualified, Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 scored a hat-trick in 32 minutes \u2014 the second-fastest hat-trick in FIFA World Cup\u2122 history. The tone was established. France were going somewhere.<\/p>\n<p>The knockout rounds told a story of defensive authority and individual moments. Sweden were beaten <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/match-clips\/0-6-4z5974253\/fra-vs-swe-quickfire-highlights-fifa-world-cup-2026\/0-1-6z5994871?utm_source=GoogleOneBox&amp;utm_medium=GoogleSearch&amp;utm_campaign=OneBox_quick_fire_highlight\">3-0<\/a> in the Round of 32. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/paraguay\/paraguay-squad\">Paraguay <\/a>frustrated France for nearly 70 minutes before D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9, introduced from the bench, found the breakthrough. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/0-6-4z5974253\/0-2-5z5974716\/teams\/morocco\/morocco-squad\">Morocco <\/a>in the quarter-final was the sternest test \u2014 Bounou outstanding, the crossbar intervening, Mbapp\u00e9&#8217;s penalty saved \u2014 but France eventually won <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/match-clips\/0-6-4z5974253\/fra-vs-mar-quickfire-highlights-fifa-world-cup-2026\/0-1-6z51000412?utm_source=GoogleOneBox&amp;utm_medium=GoogleSearch&amp;utm_campaign=OneBox_quick_fire_highlight\">2-0<\/a>. Three clean sheets. One goal conceded in the entire tournament before Dallas. By any measure, an exceptional defensive campaign.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Night_Spain_Had_No_Answer_For\"><\/span><b>The Night Spain Had No Answer For<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>And then Spain. It was not that France played badly. It was that Spain played better. The midfield that had been so solid throughout \u2014 anchored by Rabiot, screened by whoever Deschamps picked \u2014 was dismantled by Rodri and Fabi\u00e1n Ruiz before France could establish any rhythm. Mbapp\u00e9 did not have a single shot on target. Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 had one shot, soft and straight at Sim\u00f3n, in added time. Saliba went off in the 30th minute. Rabiot was removed at half-time.<\/p>\n<p>Spain had a plan for France that France had no counter to. They won <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/sports\/football\/fifa-world-cup\/2026\/match-clips\/0-6-4z5974253\/fra-vs-esp-quickfire-highlights-fifa-world-cup-2026\/0-1-6z51004107?utm_source=GoogleOneBox&amp;utm_medium=GoogleSearch&amp;utm_campaign=OneBox_quick_fire_highlight\">2-0<\/a>, and it was not a flattering win. The world had been saying France were the best team in the tournament. Spain simply disagreed \u2014 and demonstrated it over 90 minutes in the most convincing way possible.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Players_Who_Made_This_Tournament\"><\/span><b>The Players Who Made This Tournament<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Mbapp\u00e9 finishes with eight goals \u2014 level with Argentina&#8217;s Messi at the top of the Golden Boot standings. He overtook Giroud&#8217;s record. He scored in every phase of this knockout campaign. The one thing he could not do was change the outcome of the semi-final on his own, and that is not a criticism of Mbapp\u00e9 \u2014 it is a reflection of how well Spain contained him. He goes into the 3rd Place match against England with one more chance to add to his tally.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Deschamps_The_End_of_an_Era\"><\/span><b>Deschamps: The End of an Era<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Didier Deschamps has managed France since 2012. In four FIFA World Cups, he reached the Final twice \u2014 winning in Russia in 2018, losing to Argentina on penalties in Qatar in 2022, and reaching the last four here in 2026. That record, for an international manager across a fourteen-year tenure, is almost without precedent.<\/p>\n<p>This is expected to be his last tournament in charge. He came to the United States and Canada looking for a second World Cup title as a manager. It did not come. But the journey was real, the players were world-class, and the football was, for long stretches of this tournament, genuinely brilliant.<\/p>\n<p>One match left. France vs England, for third place. It will not be the Final either side wanted. But the players on the pitch will be among the best in this tournament, and Deschamps \u2014 if this is truly the farewell \u2014 deserves to go out with a win.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Watch France vs England in the FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122 3rd Place match live on ZEE 5 \u2014 India&#8217;s exclusive home of the World Cup.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i>Disclaimer: Subscription pack prices are subject to change from time to time. Please visit the subscription page for the most up-to-date pricing information.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>They were, for most of this tournament, the best team in the world. Three knockout clean sheets. Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 rewriting the record books. Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9 scoring a hat-trick in 32 minutes. An attacking unit so well-organised that nobody could find a way to stop it \u2014 until Spain did in Dallas, and the dream was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":15163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3019],"tags":[3031,3030,3626,3627],"class_list":["post-17488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-france-football-team","tag-france-vs-england","tag-one-last-dance"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1132x400.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Sourav K","author_link":"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/author\/sourav-k\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - 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content=\"@ZEE5India\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sourav K\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/france-at-fifa-world-cup-2026-a-brilliant-campaign-a-worthy-exit-and-one-last-dance\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/france-at-fifa-world-cup-2026-a-brilliant-campaign-a-worthy-exit-and-one-last-dance\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sourav K\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zee5.com\/global\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b7f51287e926eac1996d50ea278b7033\"},\"headline\":\"France at FIFA World Cup 2026\u2122: A Brilliant Campaign, a Worthy Exit, and One Last 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