France Dominates, Eyes Third World Cup Title

France, the 1998 and 2018 World Cup winner, has once again built a special team. They are now considered the strongest contenders for the 2026 World Cup title.

Impressively defeating Morocco 2-0 on Thursday, France once again clearly showed why they are the toughest opponent this year. With this, France became the first team to reach the semi-finals.

France has also won the European Championship twice. But has head coach Didier Deschamps built the greatest 'Les Bleus' team in history in his final tournament?

If France manages to lift the World Cup trophy on July 19, that claim will be strengthened. According to Patrick Vieira, a former midfielder and member of the team that beat Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 World Cup final, the current French team is on the verge of greatness.

Speaking to ITV Sport, Vieira said, 'We are talking about an exceptional generation. When you look at this team, especially its attacking line, it is possibly one of the best in history. It is truly incredible to have so many quality players.'

• Goal-scoring France

In the match against Morocco in Boston, France scored two goals in just six minutes of the second half. Kylian Mbappé scored the first goal, and shortly after, Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé added another.

With these two goals, France has now scored a total of 16 goals in this World Cup, which is more than any other team so far. However, three other quarter-final matches are yet to be played.

Mbappé, who missed a penalty in the first half, then scored his eighth goal in the tournament. With this, he has become the joint top scorer with Argentina's Lionel Messi. However, Mbappé is currently ahead in the race for the Golden Boot because he has more 'assists' than Messi.

Dembélé has also scored five goals in this tournament. With this, France has become the second team in the last 50 years to have two players scoring at least five goals each in the same World Cup. Previously, in 2002, Brazil's Ronaldo (8 goals) and Rivaldo (5 goals) achieved this feat.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, former Scotland striker Pat Nevin said, 'France is the best, most skillful, and most dangerous attacking team in the tournament.'

He added, 'They don't just have one; they have two, three, four players who can change the course of a game at any moment.'

• 'I don't think anyone can stop France from reaching the final'

Didier Deschamps has been the coach of France since 2012. He has already announced that this will be his last international tournament. Under his leadership, France won the 2018 World Cup and lost to Argentina in the 2022 final. Similarly, they lost to Portugal in the 2016 European Championship final and to Spain 2-1 in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.

If Spain defeats Belgium in the quarter-final on Friday, Spain and France will face each other in the semi-final in Dallas on Tuesday. At the start of this World Cup, France was ranked third in the FIFA world rankings. Argentina was first and European champions Spain were second.

Although Spain started their campaign with a goalless draw against Cape Verde, they have since reached the quarter-finals without conceding any goals.

However, Vieira is confident that Deschamps will lead France to their third consecutive World Cup final. He said, 'Before the tournament started, we were all confident that Spain would reach the semi-finals or at least the quarter-finals. But in the current situation, I don't think France will have any problem playing against Spain. The current France is a stronger team than four years ago, but I don't think the current Spain is a better team than four years ago.'

He claimed, 'I don't think anyone can stop France from reaching the final.'

• A team full of attacking talent

Before the match against Morocco, former England striker Ian Wright had called Deschamps' team 'one of the clearest title contenders I have seen in the World Cup.'

In the one-sided match in Boston, France took 22 shots while Morocco managed only five. Morocco's only 'shot on target' came in the 83rd minute.

Even after the match, Wright appeared impressed with France's performance.

He said, 'It's very difficult to find weaknesses in this team. If Spain reaches the semi-finals, they have fast players like Lamine Yamal who can trouble France. But overall, France looks very impressive. Moreover, the individual talent they possess is extraordinary.'

Not just Mbappé and Dembélé, France has many more options in attack. Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué, Manchester City's Rayan Cherki, and Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta are also in the squad.

France also appears equally strong defensively. In six games, they have conceded only two goals; one in a 3-1 victory against Senegal and another in a 4-1 victory over Norway. However, Norway had already secured their knockout stage qualification in that match, so they rested most of their key players.

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said, 'France still has a lot of level of play left. They were far superior to Morocco in every aspect of the game. But that doesn't mean they cannot be beaten.'

He added, 'France is in excellent condition right now. The forwards are scoring goals, and individual talent is easily overcoming opponents. Any team hoping to beat France must score first. If France scores first, it forces the opponent to come forward, and then France punishes them easily on the counter-attack.'

• Just two wins away from a third world title

Now France will await its semi-final opponent by watching the results of the remaining three quarter-finals. France has had a flawless journey so far, defeating Senegal, Iraq, Norway, Sweden, Paraguay, and Morocco. Now, to become world champions for the third time in history, they need only two more wins.

However, Pat Nevin has warned that France should not be complacent.

He said, 'We have seen some sparks of minor weaknesses, although they are not very serious. Sometimes, when moving towards an easy victory, they tend to lose focus from the game.'

He concluded, 'In reality, the biggest team that can stop France is themselves. They can only lose if they don't play their best game.'

(From BBC)