Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier were left off France’s 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup, the report says, with coach Didier Deschamps also leaving out forward Randal Kolo Muani in favor of Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The report says Camavinga was a member of the team that finished as runners-up at the previous World Cup and entered that final as a substitute, but was not included in Deschamps’ group announced Thursday. Chevalier’s absence followed his loss of the starting role at PSG to Matvei Safonov and a spell without competitive appearances since the end of January. Deschamps is quoted in the report saying that sporting performance was the main selection criterion and noting Chevalier’s lack of recent game time.
Deschamps rewarded Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser with a call-up after what the report describes as a breakthrough season. Risser was named the league’s best goalkeeper earlier in the week and was credited in the report with helping Lens become the second-best defensive side in Ligue 1. He joins Mike Maignan and Brice Samba as the three goalkeepers on the roster, per the report.
The squad features a deep attacking group, the report says, including Kylian Mbappé, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, rising prospect Désiré Doué, Michael Olise, Rayan Cherki and Maghnes Akliouche. The decision to include Mateta over Kolo Muani drew attention given Kolo Muani’s role at the last tournament, when he scored in the semifinal against Morocco and nearly became a national hero in the final before France fell to Argentina on penalties, the report says.
France has been drawn into Group I and will face Senegal, Iraq and Norway in the group stage of the tournament set for June 11-July 19 across Canada, Mexico and the United States, the report adds. The tournament will be Deschamps’ final assignment as France coach, the report notes, with the manager having announced he will step down after the World Cup and former France great Zinedine Zidane widely expected to succeed him despite not coaching since his last spell at Real Madrid.
