France coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged his side are among the favorites for the World Cup but urged his players to concentrate on their opening opponents before thinking about advancing deeper into the tournament.
Deschamps named his 26-man squad for next month’s tournament, where they kick off against Senegal and also meet Iraq and Norway in their group.
“France are first in the FIFA rankings, but are we more favorites than Spain, Portugal, Germany, England, Argentina, Brazil, Morocco?” he asked at a press conference. “I know there are expectations. But we'll have some tough opponents in our first three matches. Let's focus on the first one. The result is the most important thing. The final is a long way off.”
The coach sprung mild surprises with an uncapped third-choice goalkeeper and the inclusion of Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix and striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. Deschamps noted Lacroix’s strong performances against Brazil and Colombia, calling him a versatile center-back option. He praised Mateta as “a good, typical center forward, effective, with two goals in three games,” adding value as a penalty-box striker.