France’s Football History :
France’s national football team known as ‘Équipe de France’ in French, is controlled by the French Football Federation and represents the country in all international football competitions. Participation in the World Football Cup started in the year 1930 and till date it has qualified 14 times for the mega tournament. In the UEFA European Football Championship, the team has been competing since 1960 and has appeared 8 times in all.
In the Confederations Cup, the national team appeared twice in 2001 and 2003. France’s national football team is one of the strongest teams in Europe which is currently placed 19th in the World Rankings and gained the number 1 spot in May 2001 which continued till May 2002. In terms of World Football Elo Ratings, it currently sits at the 12th spot and was best ranked at first position in July 2007. The home ground of the French national football team is the Stade de France, located north of the capital city of Paris. It is the sixth largest stadium with a capacity of accommodating 81,338 spectators.
France also achieved success in the Olympics by grabbing a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics and silver medal in the 1900 Summer Olympics. Besides this, the team has performed outstandingly and became winners in other Minor tournaments like Evencee Coppee Trophy (1904), Artemio Franchi Trophy (1985), Kirin Cup (1994), King Hassan II Cup (1998, 2000), Tournoi de France (1998), Nelson Mandela Inauguration Challenge Cup (2000) and Nasazzi’s Baton (1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1991, 2001)
France’s Success Story :
France has an impressive record in almost every tournament. In the World Football Cup, the team became winners in 1998, finished as runners-up in 2006 and was able to secure a third position twice in 1958 and 1986. In the UEFA Championships, the national football team has grabbed the title two times; first in 1984 and second in 2000. It entered the semi finals of 1996. In the Federations Cup, the performance of the French national football team is brilliant with the team grabbing the title twice, consecutively in 2001 and 2003. The national football team of France has qualified for the upcoming World Football Cup which is scheduled to be held at Brazil.
France squad |
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| Goalkeepers: | Hugo Lloris (Tottenham) Steve Mandanda (Marseille) Mickael Landreau (Bastia) |
Defenders: | Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle) Bacary Sagna (Arsenal) Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal) Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool) Raphael Varane (Real Madrid) Eliaquim Mangala (Porto) Patrice Evra (Manchester United) Lucas Digne (PSG) |
| Midfielders: | Yohan Cabaye (PSG) Clement Grenier (Lyon) Blaise Matuidi (PSG) Rio Mavuba (Lille) Paul Pogba (Juventus) Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle) Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille) |
Forwards: | Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad) Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich) Loic Remy (QPR) |
| Standby: | Remy Cabella (Montpellier) Maxime Gonalons (Lyon) Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon) Loic Perrin (Saint-Etienne) Stephane Ruffier (Saint-Etienne) Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton) Benoit Tremoulinas (Bordeaux) |
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France’s Performance in all World Football Cups :
| World Football Football Cup Year | World Football Cup Hosting Nation | World Football Cup Qualification | Quarter Final Birth | Semi Final Birth | Third Place Secured | Reached Final | Title Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | South Africa | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 2006 | Germany | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Lost |
| 2002 | South Korea | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1998 | France | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Won |
| 1994 | United States | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1990 | Italy | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1986 | Mexico | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | – |
| 1982 | Spain | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | – |
| 1978 | Argentina | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1974 | West Germany | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1970 | Mexico | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1966 | England | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1962 | Chile | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1958 | Sweden | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | – |
| 1954 | Switzerland | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1950 | Brazil | Yes (but withdrew) | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1938 | France | Yes | Yes | – | – | – | – |
| 1934 | Italy | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 19 World Football Cups | 14 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
