France, ranked number ,three in the world are notorious for flattering to deceive. Their last World Cup run certainly would not count as such, with a run that took them all the way to the final where it took penalties for Argentina to get the better of them. Argentina seemed to have the game done and dusted until Kylian Mbappe took matters into his own hands, clawing them back into a game they probably should not have been losing. That resilience may just be what the French need to fulfil a fourth romance with the World Cup title.

Champions of 2018 and runners-up in 2022, France are definitely one of the overwhelming favourites heading into the World Cup.

Spoiled for talent, the French boast several of the world’s most electrifying attackers, a solid defensive line and a bench that could walk into several teams’ starting line-ups.