History of the France national football team
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The history of the
France national football team The France national football team (french: Équipe de France de football) represents France in men's international football matches. It is governed by the French Football Federation (FFF; ), the governing body for football in France. It is a ...
dates back to
1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...
. The national team, also referred to as ''Les Bleus'', represents the nation of France in international
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
. It is fielded by the
French Football Federation The French Football Federation ( FFF; french: Fédération Française de Football) is the governing body of football in France. It also includes the overseas departments ( Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion), the over ...
and competes as a member of
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
. France was one of the four European teams that participated at the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and was one of eight national teams to have won the competition, which they did in 1998 when they hosted the cup. They defeated Brazil 3–0 in the final. France has won two World Cups, one in 1998 and another in 2018. France has also won two
UEFA European Football Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...
s, first in 1984, led by
Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual football award presented by French news magazine ''France Football'' since 1956. Between 2010 and 2015, in an agreement with FIFA, the award was temporarily merged with the FIFA World Player of the Year (fo ...
winner
Michel Platini Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, ...
, and then in 2000, led by
FIFA World Player of the Year The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA, between 1991 and 2015 at the FIFA World Player Gala. Coaches and captains of international teams and media representativ ...
Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the most ...
. Following France's 2001 Confederations Cup victory, they became, along with
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, the only national teams to win the
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
, the
FIFA Confederations Cup The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, ...
, and the Olympic Tournament.


Early years

A France national team played in the 1900 Olympics under the name of USFSA XI, or Club Français. They finished second. The team was officially created in 1904 around the same time of
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
's foundation on 21 May 1904. Before FIFA's creation, France contested international matches under the
Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques The Union of French Athletic Sports Societies (french: Union des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques (USFSA)) was a former sports governing body in France. During the 1890s and early 1900s it organised numerous sports including athleti ...
(USFSA), the now-defunct French
sports union A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...
. In preparation for the
1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 1 ...
held in Paris, the USFSA formed a national team composed of players from French clubs. The USFSA team eventually earned the silver medal following an 0–4 defeat in the
gold medal match Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
to
Upton Park F.C. Upton Park Football Club was an amateur football club from Upton Park, London in the late 19th and early 20th century, now defunct. As well as being one of the fifteen teams that played in the inaugural FA Cup in 1871, they also represe ...
, who were representing Great Britain. Between the years 1900 and 1904, under USFSA authority, France contested five matches, one against
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, a 6–2 victory and four against
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, all defeats. France's first ever game was held on 1 May 1904 in a match against
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
that ended in a 3–3 draw. The match was played at the Stade du Vivier d'Oie in
Uccle Uccle () or Ukkel () is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). It is generally considered an affluent area of the city a ...
(
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
) and the three French goals came from
Louis Mesnier Louis Mesnier (15 December 1884 – 10 October 1921) was a French international footballer. He is primarily known for scoring the first international goal for France, which he accomplished in the team's first-ever match against Belgium in 19 ...
, Marius Royet, and Gaston Cyprès. On 12 February 1905, France contested their first home match against
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, played at the
Parc des Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
in front of 500 supporters. France won the match 1–0 with the only goal coming from Cyprès. Later that year, France returned to Brussels to face Belgium and lost 0–7. In the return match, played a year later on 22 April 1906 in
Saint-Cloud Saint-Cloud () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthiest towns ...
, France again lost 0–5 to the Belgians. On 11 November, France were defeated 0–15 by England before defeating Belgium 2–1. On 7 June 1908, a FIFA delegation ruled that the USFSA still had control of the France national team for Olympic competition. Due to this, France had to send two teams, called France A and B, to the
1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...
in London, a rare occurrence. The main difference between the teams, other than the players, were that France A, who were controlled by FIFA, matches would be recorded as official matches and France B, who were controlled by the USFSA, matches would not. The teams arrived in the city on the same day as the matches, following an extensive journey by boat and train from France. France B were eliminated in the quarter-finals following an 0–9 defeat by
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
, while France A went out in the semi-finals to the same team following a 1–17 crushing, in which
Sophus Nielsen Sophus Erhard "Krølben" Nielsen (15 March 1888 – 6 August 1963) was a Danish amateur football player and manager, and the first player in history to score ten goals in a full national team match. Nielsen scored a total 16 goals in 20 games for ...
scored a record ten goals. Following the Olympics, on 9 May 1908, the French Interfederal Committee (CFI), a rival organisation to the USFSA, ruled that FIFA would now be responsible for the club's appearances in forthcoming Olympic Games and not the USFSA. As a founding member of the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(ICO), the USFSA disagreed with the ruling and, despite having three years to reach an agreement, the two organisations failed to, which led to France not sending a football team to the
1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...
. Due to numerous disagreements with FIFA and the IOC, the USFSA eventually became disorganised and in 1913, became semi-affiliated with the CFI. In 1919, the CFI transformed themselves into the ''Fédération Française de Football'' or
French Football Federation The French Football Federation ( FFF; french: Fédération Française de Football) is the governing body of football in France. It also includes the overseas departments ( Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion), the over ...
. Following the creation of the FFF, the national team developed stability. Their first official match under the federation's watch was against Belgium on 9 March 1919. The match ended in 2–2 draw with both of France's goals coming from
Gabriel Hanot Gabriel Hanot (6 November 1889 – 10 August 1968) was a French footballer and journalist (the editor of ''L'Équipe''). The European Cup – which became the UEFA Champions League – was the brainchild of Hanot, as was the Ballon d'Or, an awa ...
. One of the country's biggest victories during this era was a 2–1 victory over England. The victory was France's first over England after having contested over ten matches against them, all England wins. In 1921, the USFSA finally merged with the French Football Federation. The merger effectively put an end to the difficult process of selecting players for the national team since the FFF were now the sole selector. As a result, federation members
Gaston Barreau Gaston Barreau (7 December 1883 – 11 June 1958) was a French football player and coach. He played primarily for FEC Levallois, but was also honored with 12 selections in the France national team between 1911 and 1914. He played as a defend ...
, Jean Rigal, Maurice Delanche, and Jacques Caudron formed a selection committee to oversee the selection process of the players. Barreau also was installed as the unofficial manager of the team. In 1923, the national team lost six consecutive matches, including a 1–2 defeat by
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
and a 1–9 thrashing from the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in Amsterdam. The win-less streak ended on 13 January 1924 with a 2–0 victory over Belgium in Paris. France then lost to both Switzerland in March and England in May in preparation matches for the
1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...
. At the Games, France reached the second round, following a 7–0 victory over
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, before falling 1–5 to
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. Four years later at the
1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...
, France failed to advance past the first round losing to
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
3–4.


Birth of the World Cup

In July 1930, France appeared in the inaugural
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
, in Uruguay. France was the only group with four teams, along with
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, and
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. In their first World Cup match, France defeated Mexico 4–1 at the
Estadio Pocitos Estadio Pocitos was a multi-use stadium located in the Pocitos district of Montevideo, Uruguay. The stadium, owned by C.A. Peñarol, was mainly used for football matches from 1921 to 1933. It was demolished later in the 1930s when Peñarol star ...
in Montevideo.
Lucien Laurent Lucien Laurent (10 December 1907 – 11 April 2005) was a French association football player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Playing for France national football team, France, at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, 1930 World Cup he ...
scored not only France's first World Cup goal, but the first goal in World Cup history. In the 40th minute,
Marcel Langiller Marcel Langiller (2 June 1908 – 25 December 1980) was a French footballer and is an Olympian. He played in a striker role, and was nicknamed "La Caille". Career Langiller was born in Charenton-le-Pont, Val-de-Marne. During his career, he pla ...
scored the second goal in World Cup history, a minute before
Bart McGhee Bartholomew "Bertie" or "Bart" McGhee (April 30, 1899 – January 26, 1979) was an American soccer forward who typically played left wing forward. He played for the United States men's national soccer team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, and scored th ...
's goal for the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
against Belgium. Despite the dream start, France were beaten by the eventual group winners Argentina losing 0–1 after a goal by
Luis Monti Luis Felipe Monti (15 May 1901 – 9 September 1983) was an Italian Argentine footballer who played as a midfielder and an Olympian. Monti has the distinction of having played in two FIFA World Cup final matches with two different national teams ...
in the 81st minute. They later lost by the same scoreline to Chile. A month after the World Cup, France returned to South America to face
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
in Rio de Janeiro. Despite leading after 20 minutes, with goals from
Edmond Delfour Edmond Delfour (1 November 1907 – 19 December 1990) was a French international footballer who played as a midfielder, before later becoming a manager. Career Delfour was born in Ris-Orangis. He played for Viry-Châtillon, Draveil, Juvisy-s ...
, France failed to hold the lead following goals from
Arthur Friedenreich Arthur Friedenreich (18 July 1892 – 6 September 1969) was a Brazilian professional footballer who played as a forward. He was nicknamed ''The Tiger'' or ''The Original "Black" Pearl'', and was arguably the sport's first outstanding mixed-race ...
and Heitor Dominguez, with the latter scoring two. The following year, France earned back-to-back victories over
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
(1–0) and England (5–2). Both matches were played in
Colombes Colombes () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2019, Colombes was the 53rd largest city in France. Name The name Colombes comes from Latin ''columna'' (Old French ''colombe'') ...
at the
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir The Stade Yves-du-Manoir (officially Stade olympique Yves-du-Manoir, also known as the Stade olympique de Colombes, or simply Colombes to the locals) is a rugby, track and association football stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France, Paris, Fran ...
, which had become the nation's national stadium, alongside the
Parc des Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
.
Raoul Diagne Raoul Diagne (10 November 1910 – 12 November 2002) was a French footballer who played defender professionally in France and for the France national football team. He worked as a coach after his playing career. Born in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni i ...
, who was of Senegalese descent and the first black player to play for France, earned his first cap on 15 February 1931 in a 1–2 defeat by
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
. He later played with the team at the
1938 FIFA World Cup The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third edition of the World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and was held in France from 4 June until 19 June 1938. Italy defended its title in the final, beat ...
, alongside
Larbi Benbarek Larbi Benbarek; also Ben Barek or Ben M'barek, ar, العربي بن مبارك; 16 June 1917 – 16 September 1992) was a French-Moroccan football player. He represented the France national football team 17 times. He earned the sobriquet of " ...
, who was the first player of North African origin to play for the national team. In June 1932, the national team toured the
Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
where they faced
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
,
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
, and
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. France finished the trip with one victory and two losses with their only win coming against the Bulgarians (5–3), courtesy of a
hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
from Jean Sécember. On 15 April 1934, France began
qualification Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...
for the
1934 FIFA World Cup The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934. The 1934 World Cup was the first in w ...
by beating
Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
6–1 in
Luxembourg City Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Lu ...
. The victory meant qualification for the World Cup where France faced
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
in the first round. The group stage used in the first World Cup was discarded in favour of a straight knockout tournament. In the match, which went to
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
, France lost 2–3 following extra time goals from
Anton Schall Anton Schall (22 June 1907 – 5 August 1947) was an Austrian football forward who played for the celebrated Austrian national side of the early 1930s that became known as the ''Wunderteam''. He also played for Admira Vienna, and later managed ...
and
Josef Bican Josef "Pepi" Bican (25 September 1913 – 12 December 2001) was an Austrian-Czech professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the second-most prolific goalscorer in official matches in recorded history according to Rec.Sport.Soccer ...
. On the team's return to Paris, they were greeted as heroes by a crowd of over 4,000 supporters. In the first match following the World Cup defeat, France defeated Yugoslavia 3–2 in front of 37,000 supporters at the
Parc des Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
. As hosts of the
1938 FIFA World Cup The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third edition of the World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and was held in France from 4 June until 19 June 1938. Italy defended its title in the final, beat ...
, France automatically qualified for the competition. In the first round, France faced long-time rivals Belgium and defeated them 3–1, with two goals from
Jean Nicolas Jean Édouard Marie Nicolas (9 June 1913 – 8 September 1978) was a French international footballer who played as a striker. Born in Nanterre, Nicolas played club football for FC Rouen, and appeared in the 1934 and 1938 World Cup squads f ...
and one of the fastest goals scored in World Cup history by Émile Veinante. In the quarter-finals, France faced defending champions
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, who beat them 1–3. Italy later defended their title defeating
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
4–2 in the final. Due to World War II, FIFA suspended both the 1942 and 1946 FIFA World Cups. National team play was put on hold, returned, then was put on hold for a second time before finally returning on a permanent basis following the conclusion of the war. The first suspension of play lasted from 29 January 1940, following France's 3–2 victory over
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, until 8 March 1942 when France returned to play losing 0–2 to Switzerland. France contested one more match, a 0–4 defeat by Spain, before play was suspended again on 16 March 1942. France returned to play on Christmas Eve 1944 defeating Belgium 3–1 in Paris.


The Golden generation of the 1950s

Following the war, FIFA re-instated the World Cup and France played Yugoslavia for a place in the
1950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup was the fourth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams and held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July 1950. The planned 1942 and 1946 World Cups were ...
. The first two matches the teams played, on 10 and 31 October, ended in 1–1 draws, so FIFA announced that a play-off on neutral ground in December would be played. To prepare themselves for the match, France faced and defeated Czechoslovakia 1–0 in November. In the play-off match, held at the Stade Giovanni Berta in
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
, Italy, France lost 2–3 following an
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
goal from
Željko Čajkovski Željko Čajkovski (5 May 1925 – 11 November 2016) was a Croatian Association football, football player and coach, who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He was born in Zagreb, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Biography ...
, thus being eliminated from qualification. France got revenge on 2 February 1951, defeating Yugoslavia 2–1. The 1950s saw the arrival of
Just Fontaine Just Louis Fontaine (born 18 August 1933) is a French former professional footballer. A prolific forward, he is best known for scoring the most goals in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, with thirteen in six matches in 1958. In 2004, Pel ...
,
Raymond Kopa Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski; 13 October 1931 – 3 March 2017) was a French professional footballer, integral to the France national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three Eu ...
,
Jean Vincent Jean Vincent (29 November 1930 – 13 August 2013) was a French international footballer and manager. Playing career Playing primarily at outside-left, Vincent enjoyed a highly successful career at club and international level, winning numero ...
,
Robert Jonquet Robert Henri Jonquet (3 May 1925 – 17 December 2008) was a French former football defender. He played the majority of his professional career for the club Reims, winning five French championships and appearing in two European Cup finals. He is ...
,
Maryan Wisnieski Marian Wisniewski (1 February 1937 – 3 March 2022), known as Maryan Wisniewski, was a French footballer who played as a forward. Life and career Marian Wisniewski was born on 1 February 1937 in Calonne-Ricouart, Pas-de-Calais. He earned 33 cap ...
,
Thadée Cisowski Thadée Cisowski (16 February 1927 – 24 February 2005), originally Tadeusz Cisowski, was a French former footballer who played as a striker. A son of Polish immigrants, he was one of the best goalscorers in Championnat de France. In the Worl ...
, and
Armand Penverne Armand Penverne (26 November 1926 – 27 February 2012) was a French association football, football defender (association football), defender and coach. He played the majority of his professional career for Stade de Reims winning four Ligue 1, F ...
to the national team. The majority of the national team consisted of players from French clubs
Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
,
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; frp, Sant-Etiève; oc, Sant Estève, ) is a city and the prefecture of the Loire department in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Saint-Étienne is the t ...
, and
Stade Reims Stade de Reims () is a French professional football club based in Reims. The club was formed in 1910 and plays in Ligue 1, the top level of Football in France, having been promoted from Ligue 2 in 2018. Reims plays home matches at the Stade Aug ...
, with the last being at the zenith of their historic strength during this period. Led by
captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Jean Baratte Jean Baratte (7 June 1923, Lambersart, Nord – 1 July 1986) was a French international footballer who played as striker and was a manager. He played for Lille OSC and was the twelfth goal scorer in Ligue 1. Honours Lille * Division 1: 1945 ...
and
Roger Marche Roger Gaston Louis Marche (5 March 1924 – 1 November 1997) was a French footballer who played as a defender. He was part of the French national team during the 1954 and 1958 World Cup tournaments. He was nicknamed '' Le Sanglier des Ardennes ...
, France went on a six-match unbeaten streak beginning on 20 April 1952 following a 2–0 victory over Portugal. During the streak, France faced West Germany and defeated them 3–1. The streak came to an end on Christmas Day 1952 with a 0–1 loss to Belgium. France cruised through the qualifying process for the
1954 FIFA World Cup The 1954 FIFA World Cup was the fifth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament for senior men's national teams of the nations affiliated to FIFA. It was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerla ...
as they were grouped with the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
and Luxembourg. They went undefeated in the group scoring 20 goals and conceding only four. At the World Cup, which was held in Switzerland, the group stage of the competition returned and France were placed with
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
and
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, though they only had to play the latter two. In their opening match against Yugoslavia, France lost 0–1. They were victors in the second match defeating Mexico 3–2, but were unable to advance to the next round due to their head-to-head result with Yugoslavia, who advanced.


1958 World Cup

Following the World Cup, France went on an eight-match unbeaten streak defeating the likes of
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, and
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. The consistent play from the team led to the team again cruising through
qualification Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...
for the
1958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the sixth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Brazil be ...
in Sweden. France, for the second consecutive qualification, went undefeated scoring 19 goals and conceding only 4. Of the 19 goals scored, Racing de France striker
Thadée Cisowski Thadée Cisowski (16 February 1927 – 24 February 2005), originally Tadeusz Cisowski, was a French former footballer who played as a striker. A son of Polish immigrants, he was one of the best goalscorers in Championnat de France. In the Worl ...
scored seven including five in the 6–3 defeat of
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. At the 1958 World Cup, the team finished in third place. In the group stage, France again faced Yugoslavia, but were given unfamiliar opposition in
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
and
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. In the opening match against Paraguay, France got a 7–3 victory, with Reims striker
Just Fontaine Just Louis Fontaine (born 18 August 1933) is a French former professional footballer. A prolific forward, he is best known for scoring the most goals in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, with thirteen in six matches in 1958. In 2004, Pel ...
getting a
hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
. In the match against Yugoslavia, they were defeated 2–3 with Fontaine scoring both of his team's goals. The 2–1 victory over Scotland was enough to win the group and advance to the knockout rounds, a first for France. In the knockout rounds, France beat
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
4–0 with Fontaine recording another two goals. In the semi-finals, France were unable to contain the resilient Brazilians, in part due to an injury to the influential defender
Robert Jonquet Robert Henri Jonquet (3 May 1925 – 17 December 2008) was a French former football defender. He played the majority of his professional career for the club Reims, winning five French championships and appearing in two European Cup finals. He is ...
. Brazil, who won the match 5–2, controlled most of the match with
Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
scoring a
hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
. In the third place match, France defeated West Germany 6–3 with Fontaine recording four of the goals, which brought his goal tally to 13, a World Cup record which still stands.


UEFA Euro 1960

Following France's successful World Cup campaign, they were put into qualification for the inaugural
UEFA European Football Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...
, which was held on home soil. The club's first leg of their qualifying match was a 7–1 dominating win over
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
with
Raymond Kopa Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski; 13 October 1931 – 3 March 2017) was a French professional footballer, integral to the France national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three Eu ...
, now of
Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...
fame, scoring. Fours days later, France travelled to
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
and defeated
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
2–1. In the return leg against Greece, France drew 1–1, thus advancing 8–2 on aggregate. In the next round, France faced Austria again. In the first leg, France scored the first three goals en route to a 5–2 victory and, in the return leg, beat the Austrians 4–2. The 9–4 aggregate scoreline meant qualification. In the
1960 European Nations' Cup The 1960 European Nations' Cup was the first edition of the UEFA European Championship, held every four years and organised by UEFA. The first tournament was held in France. It was won by the Soviet Union, who beat Yugoslavia 2–1 in Paris afte ...
, France, who were without Kopa, Fontaine, and
Roger Piantoni Roger Piantoni (26 December 1931 – 26 May 2018) was a French footballer who played as an inside-forward and was a star on the French national team in the late 1950s. During the 1949–1950 season, he was the champion of Lorraine with his team ...
, faced Yugoslavia and were shocked 4–5 despite being up 4–2 by the 75th minute. The ''Plavi'' scored three goals in a span of four minutes to take the lead and become victors. They later lost in the final to the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. In the third place match, France were defeated 0–2 by Czechoslovakia.


Decline (1960–1976)

The new decade saw the departure of veterans
Robert Jonquet Robert Henri Jonquet (3 May 1925 – 17 December 2008) was a French former football defender. He played the majority of his professional career for the club Reims, winning five French championships and appearing in two European Cup finals. He is ...
,
Just Fontaine Just Louis Fontaine (born 18 August 1933) is a French former professional footballer. A prolific forward, he is best known for scoring the most goals in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, with thirteen in six matches in 1958. In 2004, Pel ...
,
Armand Penverne Armand Penverne (26 November 1926 – 27 February 2012) was a French association football, football defender (association football), defender and coach. He played the majority of his professional career for Stade de Reims winning four Ligue 1, F ...
,
Roger Marche Roger Gaston Louis Marche (5 March 1924 – 1 November 1997) was a French footballer who played as a defender. He was part of the French national team during the 1954 and 1958 World Cup tournaments. He was nicknamed '' Le Sanglier des Ardennes ...
,
Raymond Kaelbel Raymond Kaelbel (31 January 1932 – 17 April 2007) was a French footballer who played as a centre-back. He was part of France national team during the 1958 FIFA World Cup. He was the member of The Board of directors of RC Strasbourg and resided ...
, and
Jean Vincent Jean Vincent (29 November 1930 – 13 August 2013) was a French international footballer and manager. Playing career Playing primarily at outside-left, Vincent enjoyed a highly successful career at club and international level, winning numero ...
who all retired from the national team. Only
Maryan Wisnieski Marian Wisniewski (1 February 1937 – 3 March 2022), known as Maryan Wisniewski, was a French footballer who played as a forward. Life and career Marian Wisniewski was born on 1 February 1937 in Calonne-Ricouart, Pas-de-Calais. He earned 33 cap ...
,
Roger Piantoni Roger Piantoni (26 December 1931 – 26 May 2018) was a French footballer who played as an inside-forward and was a star on the French national team in the late 1950s. During the 1949–1950 season, he was the champion of Lorraine with his team ...
,
Jean-Jacques Marcel Jean-Jacques Marcel (13 June 1931 – 3 October 2014) was a French international footballer who played midfielder. He was an integral part of the French national teams of the 1950s. Playing career The south Frenchman was signed in 1949 by the ...
,
André Lerond André Lerond (6 December 1930 – 8 April 2018) was a French association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender. He played mainly as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre back or at Defend ...
, and
Raymond Kopa Raymond Kopa (né Kopaszewski; 13 October 1931 – 3 March 2017) was a French professional footballer, integral to the France national team of the 1950s. At club level he was part of the legendary Real Madrid team of the 1950s, winning three Eu ...
remained from the team that finished third at the
1958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup was the sixth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Sweden from 8 to 29 June 1958. It was the first FIFA World Cup to be played in a Nordic country. Brazil be ...
. On 25 April 1964, Henri Guérin was officially installed as the team's first manager. Following their 4th-place finish at the 1960 European Championship, Guérin was tasked with qualifying for the
1962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup was the seventh edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for senior men's national teams. It was held from 30 May to 17 June 1962 in Chile. The qualification rounds took place bet ...
. The team started off defeating
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
2–1 in
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
and Bulgaria 3–0 in Paris. Following another victory (5–1) over Finland, France were thought to have secured qualification, but following Bulgaria's 3–1 victory over Finland, the two teams became levelled on points. FIFA ordered a play-off on neutral ground. In the play-off, played in
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
at the
San Siro Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums in ...
, France were beaten by Bulgaria 0–1. Following their elimination, Kopa, Piantoni, and Marcel retired from the national side. In the team's following match after the Bulgaria defeat, they were defeated 1–3 by
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. After another loss to
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, France were thrust into qualification for the
1964 European Nations' Cup The 1964 European Nations' Cup was the second edition of the UEFA European Championship. The final tournament was held in Spain. It was won by the hosts 2–1 over the defending champions, the Soviet Union. The tournament was a knockout compet ...
. In the preliminary round, France faced
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. In the first leg at
Hillsborough Stadium Hillsborough Stadium is a 39,732-capacity association football stadium located in Owlerton, a north-western suburb of Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. It has been the home of Sheffield Wednesday since its opening in 1899. The ground has been sub ...
in
Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
, France secured a 1–1 draw and in the second leg, defeated the English 5–2 with
Lucien Cossou Lucien Cossou (born 29 January 1936 in Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur re ...
and Wisnieski scoring a double. In the next round, France played Bulgaria. Despite losing 0–1 to Bulgaria in
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
, France rebounded in Paris winning 3–1, which meant a 3–2 aggregate victory and progression to the next round where they faced
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. In the first leg at the
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir The Stade Yves-du-Manoir (officially Stade olympique Yves-du-Manoir, also known as the Stade olympique de Colombes, or simply Colombes to the locals) is a rugby, track and association football stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France, Paris, Fran ...
, France lost 1–3 with their only goal coming from Cossou when they were trailing 0–3. The second leg was also won by the Hungarians, despite France getting an early goal from the naturalised international
Nestor Combin Nestor may refer to: * Nestor (mythology), King of Pylos in Greek mythology Arts and entertainment * "Nestor" (''Ulysses'' episode) an episode in James Joyce's novel ''Ulysses'' * Nestor Studios, first-ever motion picture studio in Hollywood, L ...
. The defeat by Hungary meant another major tournament qualification failure. France returned to major international play following qualification for the
1966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 July to 30 July 1966. The England national football team defeated West Germany 4-2 in the ...
. The team was in a relatively easy group consisting of a now weakened Yugoslavia,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, and Luxembourg. France won five of their group stage matches and losing only one, a 0–1 defeat by Yugoslavia in
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
. France struggled against higher opposition in
friendly matches An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
going win-less in six friendly matches heading into the World Cup. In the tournament, which was played in England, France finished last in their group which included England, Mexico, and
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. A 1–1 draw with Mexico, marred by bad refereeing, and a 1–2 loss to Uruguay saw France still with a chance to make the knockout rounds. In the final group stage match against England, France lost 0–2 in front of a crowd of 98,000 at
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
. The loss eliminated France from the competition. As a result, manager Henri Guérin was sacked. Guérin was replaced by José Arribas and
Jean Snella Jean Snella (9 December 1914 – 20 November 1979) was a French association football midfielder and a manager. He mostly coached AS Saint-Etienne. He also coached France national football team along with José Arribas after the FIFA World Cup ...
who worked in a dual role until being replaced by former international
Just Fontaine Just Louis Fontaine (born 18 August 1933) is a French former professional footballer. A prolific forward, he is best known for scoring the most goals in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup, with thirteen in six matches in 1958. In 2004, Pel ...
. Fontaine initially started the club's qualification for
UEFA Euro 1968 The 1968 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Italy. This was the third UEFA European Championship, an event held every four years and organised by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 5 and 10 June 1968. It ...
, but was let go and succeeded by
Louis Dugauguez Louis Dugauguez (21 February 1918 – 22 September 1991) was a French football player and football manager. Playing career Louis Dugauguez played amateur football for , , Lens, Toulouse, Carvin and Sedan, where he began his coaching career as a ...
. Under Dugauguez, France failed to qualify for the tournament, due to their 2–6 aggregate defeat by Yugoslavia in the quarter-final stage of qualifying. Despite the negative reaction from supporters, Dugauguez was retained and managed the team during the early stages of the team's qualifying campaign for the
1970 FIFA World Cup The 1970 FIFA World Cup was the ninth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's senior national teams. Held from 31 May t ...
. In the team's opening qualifying match, played in
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
, an injury-plagued France suffered embarrassment following a 0–1 defeat by Norway, who had a team composed of mostly amateurs. In their next match, the team drew with Hungary 2–2, which led to calls for Dugauguez to be replaced. On 2 March 1969, the outcry proved successful with
Georges Boulogne Georges Boulogne (1 July 1917 – 24 August 1999) was a French football player and manager, better known for his stint as France national team manager. Career born in Haillicourt, Boulogne played amateur football for AC Amboise and CO S ...
replacing Dugauguez. In Boulogne's first match in charge, France were hammered 0–5 by England in a friendly. Boulogne continued the team's qualification campaign, but lost 0–3 to
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
in Stockholm. Despite defeating Sweden 2–0, France were unable to advance due to their earlier defeat by Sweden. Boulogne would last at his post until 1973 following his failure to qualify for the
1974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...
. Boulogne also failed to get the team to
UEFA Euro 1972 The 1972 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Belgium. This was the fourth UEFA European Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 14 and 18 June 1972. Only four ...
. Despite the negatives, Boulogne is positively remembered for reconstructing
French football Association football is the most popular sport in France. The French Football Federation (FFF, Fédération Française de Football) is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the cou ...
with the nation now putting more emphasis on training and providing more international opportunities for young players, instead of constantly relying on the old guard. Boulogne was replaced by
Ștefan Kovács Ștefan Kovács ( ro, Ştefan Covaci; hu, Kovács István; 2 October 1920 – 12 May 1995) was a Romanian football player and coach. By winning 15 major titles he is one of the most successful association football coaches in the history of th ...
, who became the first and, to this day, only international manager to ever manage the France national team. (Arribas was born in Spain, but was a
naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the i ...
French citizen) Kovacs applied Boulogne's concepts to his total football philosophy, but failed to qualify for the
1974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...
and
UEFA Euro 1976 The 1976 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Yugoslavia. This was the fifth UEFA European Championship, held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. The final tournament took place between 16 and 20 June 1976. Only f ...
. After two years in charge, he was sacked and replaced by
Michel Hidalgo Michel François Hidalgo (22 March 1933 – 26 March 2020) was a French professional football player, footballer and Manager (association football), manager. He was the head coach of the France national football team, French national team from 1 ...
.


Platini era

Hidalgo's first match in charge, a 2–2 draw with Czechoslovakia on 27 March 1976, coincided with the debuts of several players he later used for future triumphs, including
Michel Platini Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, ...
, who scored,
Didier Six Didier Six (born 21 August 1954) is a French football coach and former player, who most recently worked as manager of the Guinea national football team until October 2021. A gifted but inconsistent winger, Six enjoyed a nomadic career, playing ...
, who appeared as a substitute, and
Maxime Bossis Maxime Jean Marcel Bossis (; born 26 June 1955) is a French retired professional footballer who played as a defender. Bossis spent most of his career playing for Nantes, a club he helped win three Ligue 1 titles and one Coupe de France. He ob ...
. Hidalgo's first task as manager was to achieve qualification to the
1978 FIFA World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football world championship tournament among the men's senior national teams. It was held in Argentina between 1 and 25 June. The Cup was won by t ...
. France accomplished this following a 3–1 win over
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
at the
Parc des Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
with
Dominique Rocheteau Dominique Claude Rocheteau (born 14 January 1955) is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger. A French international, he played in three FIFA World Cups, scoring at least one goal in each of them, and was part of the team ...
,
Michel Platini Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a French football administrator and former player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon d'Or three times in a row, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, ...
and Christian Dalger Scoring. Following qualification, France scheduled strong competition in friendly matches ahead of the World Cup. In 1977, the team, led by Platini,
Dominique Rocheteau Dominique Claude Rocheteau (born 14 January 1955) is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger. A French international, he played in three FIFA World Cups, scoring at least one goal in each of them, and was part of the team ...
and
Marius Trésor Marius Paul Trésor (born 15 January 1950) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers. He is considered one of the best central defenders of all ...
, travelled to
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
where they drew 0–0 with
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, who were due to be the 1978 World Cup hosts and four days later, drew 2–2 with
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
at the Estádio do Maracanã in front of 83,535 fans. Despite trailing 0–2 in the second half, France recovered with goals from Six and Trésor, who scored his in the 85th minute. Other future World Cup opponents France faced in the lead up to the tournament included
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
(2–2 draw with Platini scoring two free kicks),
Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...
(2–0 victory), and Brazil, again, this time at the Parc des Princes. France recorded a 1–0 victory with Platini scoring the goal. Over 43,000 supporters turned out for the match. Heading into the World Cup, France were on a ten-match unbeaten streak. The streak came to an end in the team's first group stage match when they lost 1–2 to
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
Bernard Lacombe Bernard Lacombe (born 15 August 1952) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a striker, mainly with Lyon, Bordeaux and Saint-Étienne and the France national team. Career Lacombe began his professional career with hometown cl ...
scored the opening goal of the match in the first minute but
Marco Tardelli Marco Tardelli (; born 24 September 1954) is an Italian former football player and manager. At club level, he played as a midfielder for several Italian clubs; he began his career with Pisa, and later played for Como, Juventus, and Internazional ...
's was effective in marking Platini. In the following match against hosts Argentina, France were beaten 1–2 with Platini scoring France's goal. The loss eliminated France from the competition. France did not finish at the bottom of the table due to defeating Hungary 3–1 in the final group stage match. Many attributed the team's weak performance to the team's lack of experience with only two players,
Henri Michel Henri Louis Michel (28 October 1947 – 24 April 2018) was a French football player and coach. He played as a midfielder for Nantes and the France national team, and later went on to coach various clubs and national teams all over the wor ...
and Trésor, having more than 20 caps to their name. Almost immediately after the World Cup exit, France began the qualification process for
UEFA Euro 1980 The 1980 UEFA European Football Championship finals tournament was held in Italy. This was the sixth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first European Championship to feature eight teams i ...
. France played
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
,
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
, and
Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
. France opened their campaign drawing with Sweden 2–2, a draw the team would later come to regret. In their third match, they were beaten 0–2 by the Czechs in
Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...
. The team failed to qualify by one point.


1982 FIFA World Cup

1980 saw the arrival of
Jean Tigana Amadou Jean Tigana (born 23 June 1955) is a French former footballer and coach. He has played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and one goal for the France national football team ...
to the national team with the player making his debut in the team's 0–1 loss to the Soviet Union on 23 May in Moscow. The arrival of Tigana completed the initial ''Magic Square'', which was composed of Tigana, Platini, Giresse, and Genghini. Due to their qualification elimination from the Euros, France and new
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Platini were eager to begin their qualifying season for the
1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national foo ...
. They opened their campaign with a 7–0 romp of
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
with Platini and Lacombe scoring two each. Two weeks later, the team recorded a 2–0 win over the Republic of Ireland. France lost three away matches in qualifying, the first being to
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
0–1 in
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
, the second, a 0–2 loss to Belgium in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, and finally a 2–3 defeat by Ireland in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
. Due to the team maintaining its home form, France finished in second place, behind Belgium, thus qualifying for the World Cup. Prior to the tournament, France continued to perform badly away from home, losing to both
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
and
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
in Madrid and
Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
, respectively. The team played all of its World Cup preparation matches at home, unlike in 1978. At the tournament, France faced Czechoslovakia, England, and
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
in the first group stage. In their first game France were broken down by the English in the second half after going into
halftime In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in or ...
even 1–1. England got goals from
Bryan Robson Bryan Robson OBE (born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club captain before moving to Manchester United in ...
(second of the match) and
Paul Mariner Paul Mariner (22 May 1953 – 9 July 2021) was an English football player and coach. A centre forward during his playing days, Mariner began his career with Chorley. He became a professional player in 1973 with Plymouth Argyle, where he scored ...
to seal the result. France's beat Kuwait 4–1 in the second match with Bossis, Platini, and Six all getting on the scoresheet. The final group stage match saw France get a 1–1 draw with the Czechs. The draw allowed France to finish second and move on the next round of group stage matches where they were in a group with
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. As expected, France won the group defeating Austria 1–0 and Northern Ireland 4–1 in Madrid (with
Alain Giresse Alain Jean Giresse (; born 2 August 1952) is a French football coach and former player who is the current manager of the Kosovo national team. He was French Player of the Year in 1982, 1983 and 1987. Nominally an attacking midfielder or centra ...
and
Dominique Rocheteau Dominique Claude Rocheteau (born 14 January 1955) is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger. A French international, he played in three FIFA World Cups, scoring at least one goal in each of them, and was part of the team ...
scoring two each), which meant the team had reached the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, France played
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, who had defeated France 1–4 a few months prior, in
Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...
. The match proved to be one of the greatest matches of World Cup history. Other than the scoreline, the match was primarily remembered for German goalkeeper
Harald Schumacher Harald Anton "Toni" Schumacher (born 6 March 1954) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At club level, he won a Bundesliga title and three DFB-Pokal titles with 1. FC Köln. At international level, he represen ...
knocking defender
Patrick Battiston Patrick Raymond Jean Battiston (born 12 March 1957) is a French former footballer who played as a defender for the France national team in three World Cups and won the 1984 European Football Championship. At club level, he played for Metz, Sa ...
unconscious in the 57th minute following an attempt at a save. Battiston suffered a damaged
vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...
, lost teeth, and later slipped into a coma. Despite the extensiveness of the injury, the referee did not call a penalty or even penalise Schumacher, much to the anger of the French. The match eventually went into
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
at 1–1 with Platini converting a penalty for France and
Pierre Littbarski Pierre Michael Littbarski (; born 16 April 1960) is a German professional football manager and former player of 1. FC Köln and the West Germany national team. Known for his dribbling abilities, he was mainly used as an attacking midfielder o ...
scoring for Germany in regular time. In extra time, France scored two goals in succession with Trésor scoring the first off a Giresse free kick and Giresse scoring the second from 18 metres out. Four minutes later, Germany got back-to-back goals to even the match again. The match now even at 3–3 went to a penalty shoot-out. The Germans earned their spot in the final following
Horst Hrubesch Horst Hrubesch (; born 17 April 1951) is a German professional football manager and former player who last managed Hamburger SV. As a player, Hrubesch won three West German championships with his club side, Hamburger SV, as well as the European C ...
's conversion at the spot to give them a 4–5 win. Six and Bossis missed their penalties for France. France lost the third place match 2–3 to
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, as Platini, Rocheteau, Giresse, Bossis, and Six were all rested. Six appeared as a late-match substitute.


Euro 84 Champions

On 29 February 1984, France defeated
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
2–0 at the
Parc des Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
. The match marked the inauguration of the ''"carré magique" '' as it was the first time all four players, Platini, Giresse, Tigana, and
Fernández Fernández () is a Spanish surname meaning "son of Fernando". The Germanic name that it derives from ( Gothic: ''Frið-nanð'') means "brave traveler." The Portuguese version of this surname is Fernandes. The Arabized version is ''Ibn Faranda' ...
, started a match together. Hidalgo was a keen admirer of the
4–4–2 In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a ...
formation and used all four players perfectly, placing Tigana and Fernández in defensive midfield roles to act as
deep-lying playmaker A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
s, inserted Giresse on the
wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...
in order to use his small, agile frame, and placing Platini, now of
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
fame and nationally recognised, into the
playmaker In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativit ...
position just behind the striker, who was usually
Dominique Rocheteau Dominique Claude Rocheteau (born 14 January 1955) is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger. A French international, he played in three FIFA World Cups, scoring at least one goal in each of them, and was part of the team ...
,
Bernard Lacombe Bernard Lacombe (born 15 August 1952) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a striker, mainly with Lyon, Bordeaux and Saint-Étienne and the France national team. Career Lacombe began his professional career with hometown cl ...
or
Didier Six Didier Six (born 21 August 1954) is a French football coach and former player, who most recently worked as manager of the Guinea national football team until October 2021. A gifted but inconsistent winger, Six enjoyed a nomadic career, playing ...
. Since France hosted
UEFA Euro 1984 The 1984 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in France from 12 to 27 June 1984. It was the seventh UEFA European Championship, a competition held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. At the time, only eight countries ...
, they played numerous
friendly matches An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
to prepare themselves for the tournament. The expectations in the country were high heading into the competition with the team entering the Euros having gone unbeaten in eleven of the twelve friendly matches, with their only loss coming in a 1–3 defeat by the
Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...
in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
. France avenged this defeat in the opening match of the Euros defeating the Danish 1–0 with France's only goal coming from Michel Platini, the ball deflecting off of the head of Dane defender
Søren Busk Søren Thomas Busk (born 10 April 1953) is a Danish former footballer who played as a defender. He usually played either right-back or in central defence. He played professionally for a number of European clubs, and helped Gent win the Belgian ...
. In the following group stage match, France recorded a 5–0 victory over Belgium with Platini getting a
hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
. Magic Square members Giresse and Fernández also scored. In the final group stage match, Platini scored another hat trick outscoring the
Yugoslavians Yugoslavs or Yugoslavians (Bosnian language, Bosnian and Croatian language, Croatian: ''Jugoslaveni'', Serbian language, Serbian and Macedonian language, Macedonian ''Jugosloveni''/Југословени; sl, Jugoslovani) is an identity that w ...
3–2. In the semi-final, France faced
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
at the
Stade Vélodrome The Stade Vélodrome (; oc, Estadi Velodròm, ), known as the Orange Vélodrome for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1 since it opened in 1937, ...
in
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
and scored a goal from
Jean-François Domergue Jean-François Domergue (born 23 June 1957) is a former French footballer who played defender. He has recently served as a manager of Le Havre AC and Montpellier HSC. Throughout his career he was called up nine times to the France national fo ...
in the 25th minute. Portugal equalised through
Rui Jordão Rui Manuel Trindade Jordão (; 9 August 1952 – 18 October 2019) was a Portuguese footballer. His professional career was spent mostly with two of the biggest clubs in the country, Benfica and Sporting CP. One of the most prolific strikers i ...
and the match went into
extra time Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
at 1–1. In extra time, Portugal began the scoring, again through Jordão, in the 98th minute. In the second half of extra time, France equalised with Domergue scoring again in the 115th minute, his only two international goals. Four minutes later, France got the game-winning goal through Michel Platini, who scored following a run into the box by Tigana. France had qualified for their first ever major international final. In the final, held at the country's
national stadium Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
, France played
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. The match was deadlocked midway through the second half until Platini scored the opening goal via free kick with the help of Spain goalkeeper
Luis Arconada Luis Miguel Arconada Etxarri (born 26 June 1954) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played only for Real Sociedad for nearly 20 years, and helped the club to four titles including two La Liga championships. Arconada ...
, who committed a blunder in an attempt to save the shot. Despite dropping to 10 men, courtesy of two yellow cards given to
Yvon Le Roux Yvon Le Roux (born 19 April 1960 in Plouvorn, Finistère) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He earned 28 international caps (one goal) for the France national team during the mid-1980s and was part of the tea ...
, France managed to hold on to the result and eventually sealed the match following a goal from
Bruno Bellone Bruno Bellone (born 14 March 1962) is a former French international footballer who played as a winger, and who earned 34 caps and scored two goals for France from 1981 to 1988. One of the goals was in the final of the 1984 European Championsh ...
in
injury time Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
. The 2–0 result gave France their first major international title. France later won gold at the
1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
football tournament and, a year later, defeated Uruguay 2–0 (
Dominique Rocheteau Dominique Claude Rocheteau (born 14 January 1955) is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger. A French international, he played in three FIFA World Cups, scoring at least one goal in each of them, and was part of the team ...
&
José Touré José Touré (born 24 April 1961 in Nancy) is a French former professional football player. Club career On 11 June 1983, Touré scored a memorable goal for Nantes in the Coupe de France final to give his side the lead against Paris Saint ...
scoring) to win the
Artemio Franchi Trophy Artemio is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Artemio Franchi (1922–1983), Italian football administrator * Artemio Lomboy Rillera (1947–2011), the Roman Catholic bishop of San Fernando de La Union, Philippines *Artemio Pang ...
, an early precursor to the
FIFA Confederations Cup The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, ...
. In a span of a year, France were holders of three of the four major international trophies. Following the Euro triumph, Hidalgo was replaced by former international
Henri Michel Henri Louis Michel (28 October 1947 – 24 April 2018) was a French football player and coach. He played as a midfielder for Nantes and the France national team, and later went on to coach various clubs and national teams all over the wor ...
.


1986 FIFA World Cup

Michel and the team soon focused their efforts in winning the
1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia ha ...
in Mexico, where they were labelled as favourites by
bookmakers A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookma ...
. Following a 2–0 victory over West Germany on 8 December 1984, France were placed on top of the
World Football Elo Ratings The World Football Elo Ratings are a ranking system for men's national association football teams that is published by the website eloratings.net. It is based on the Elo rating system but includes modifications to take various football-specific va ...
, a first in the team's history. Following the victory over West Germany, France were on a 14-match unbeaten streak and extended the streak another match before losing to
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
, away, during
World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments are hel ...
. The team lost to
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
0–1 in
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
and drew 0–0 with Yugoslavia in
Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...
. They qualified for the competition defeating Yugoslavia 2–0 in their final group stage match. At the World Cup, France were limited strategically due to significant injuries to star players Platini and Giresse, who played through injections. The team's group was composed of the Soviet Union, Hungary, and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. In France's first match, against Canada, the team struggled, but managed to get a goal through youngster
Jean-Pierre Papin Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume Papin (born 5 November 1963) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a forward. He was named the Ballon d'Or and IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer of the Year in 1991. Papin was known for ...
in the 79th minute. A 1–1 draw with the Soviet Union in the following match put France through to the next round provided they did not lose to the Hungarians; they won 3–0 with goals from
Yannick Stopyra Yannick Stopyra (born 9 January 1961) is a French former footballer who played as a striker. He amassed Ligue 1 totals of 455 matches and 130 goals in representation of six teams, mainly Sochaux and Toulouse, in a 17-year professional career. ...
and veterans
Jean Tigana Amadou Jean Tigana (born 23 June 1955) is a French former footballer and coach. He has played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and one goal for the France national football team ...
, and
Dominique Rocheteau Dominique Claude Rocheteau (born 14 January 1955) is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger. A French international, he played in three FIFA World Cups, scoring at least one goal in each of them, and was part of the team ...
. In the knockout rounds, France faced defending champions
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in Mexico City. France won 2–0 with Platini scoring the first of his two important goals in the tournament. Stopyra also scored with Rocheteau providing both assists. In the following round, the "Brazilians of Europe", as France were sometimes called, faced
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Brazil opened the scoring though
Careca Antônio de Oliveira Filho (born 5 October 1960), better known as Careca (), is a Brazilian former footballer, who was deployed as a forward. During his career, Careca played for several clubs, most notably with Italian side Napoli. He also re ...
in the 17th minute. The goal would later be nullified following Platini's goal in the 40th minute. The match eventually went to a penalty shoot-out after no goals were scored in the remaining match time, despite numerous chances for both teams. In the shoot-out,
Sócrates Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira (19 February 1954 – 4 December 2011), simply known as Sócrates, was a Brazilian footballer who played as a midfielder. His medical degree and his political awareness, combined with styl ...
missed Brazil's opening shot. France's ensuing three shots were scored by Stopyra,
Manuel Amoros Manuel Amoros (born 1 February 1962) is a French former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He was capped 82 times for France, and played in the UEFA European Championships finals of 1984 and 1992, and the FIFA World Cup finals ...
, and Bellone. Following Branco's conversion for Brazil, Platini, who was celebrating his 31st birthday, stepped up and sent his shot over the bar. Brazil's next shooter Júlio César missed his chance.
Luis Fernández Luis Miguel Fernández Toledo (born 2 October 1959), known as Luis Fernandez, is a French football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. Fernandez spent most of his playing career for Paris Saint-Germain. He earned 6 ...
stepped up for France and converted his shot sending France to the semi-finals for the second straight World Cup. In the semi-finals, at the
Estadio Jalisco The Jalisco Stadium is a football stadium located in Guadalajara, Mexico. It is the third largest Mexican football stadium behind Estadio Azteca and Estadio Olímpico Universitario. The facility is located in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, 4 ...
in
Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
, France without
Dominique Rocheteau Dominique Claude Rocheteau (born 14 January 1955) is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger. A French international, he played in three FIFA World Cups, scoring at least one goal in each of them, and was part of the team ...
injured against Brazil, faced West Germany, who had defeated them in 1982 in the same round. France lost to the Germans 0–2 with goals from
Andreas Brehme Andreas "Andy" Brehme (; born 9 November 1960) is a German football coach and former football defender. At international level, he is best known for scoring the winning goal for Germany in the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final against Argentina from a ...
and
Rudi Völler Rudolf "Rudi" Völler (; born 13 April 1960), nicknamed "''Tante Käthe''" ("Aunt Käthe"), is a German former professional football player and manager who serves as the sporting director for Bayer Leverkusen. A forward, Völler won the FIFA Wor ...
. Attackers Stopyra, Bellone, Platini and Giresse were completely ineffective in the match with the latter having to be substituted. France won the third place match against Belgium 4–2. The third place match was the last international match for
Maxime Bossis Maxime Jean Marcel Bossis (; born 26 June 1955) is a French retired professional footballer who played as a defender. Bossis spent most of his career playing for Nantes, a club he helped win three Ligue 1 titles and one Coupe de France. He ob ...
,
Patrick Battiston Patrick Raymond Jean Battiston (born 12 March 1957) is a French former footballer who played as a defender for the France national team in three World Cups and won the 1984 European Football Championship. At club level, he played for Metz, Sa ...
, and
Bernard Genghini Bernard Genghini (born 18 January 1958 in Soultz-Haut-Rhin, Haut-Rhin) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. International career Genghini earned 27 caps and scored six goals for the France national team. He ...
.
Dominique Rocheteau Dominique Claude Rocheteau (born 14 January 1955) is a French former professional footballer who played as a winger. A French international, he played in three FIFA World Cups, scoring at least one goal in each of them, and was part of the team ...
and
Alain Giresse Alain Jean Giresse (; born 2 August 1952) is a French football coach and former player who is the current manager of the Kosovo national team. He was French Player of the Year in 1982, 1983 and 1987. Nominally an attacking midfielder or centra ...
also retired from international duty following the World Cup. On 29 April 1987, Platini made his last appearance for France in their final European Championship qualifier at home to
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
, which ended 2–0, but France failed to qualify for
UEFA Euro 1988 The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany from 10 to 25 June 1988. It was the eighth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. The tournament crowned Netherlan ...
. A few weeks after the Iceland match, Platini announced his retirement from both club and international football.


Transition years (1988–1996)

On 11 June 1988, the
French Football Federation The French Football Federation ( FFF; french: Fédération Française de Football) is the governing body of football in France. It also includes the overseas departments ( Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion), the over ...
announced the completion and inauguration of the ''Centre Technique National Fernand-Sastre'' or the Clairefontaine National Football Institute. The academy's main priorities were to develop the country's young players and also to house the senior national football team ahead of important international matches and tournaments. The academy cost over 104 million to construct and its opening ceremony was attended by then-
President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...
,
François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
. Five months after Clairefontaine's opening, manager
Henri Michel Henri Louis Michel (28 October 1947 – 24 April 2018) was a French football player and coach. He played as a midfielder for Nantes and the France national team, and later went on to coach various clubs and national teams all over the wor ...
was fired following a 1–1 away draw with
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
in qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The firing of Michel propelled the influential
Claude Bez Claude Bez (November 4, 1940 – January 26, 1999), former Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux, Bordeaux soccer team chairman, was an iconic personality in Football in France, French football culture of the 1980s. Biography Claude Bez was b ...
, who was president of football club
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, into the role of superintendent for the French team, a position made especially for him. Bez, who was a keen admirer of Platini, sought the former player's services and hired him on 1 November 1988 as manager of the team. Upon arrival, Platini was given the task of qualifying for the 1990 World Cup, as well as introducing younger players like
Eric Cantona Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (; ; born 24 May 1966) is a French actor, director, producer, and former professional footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Cantona is credited as having made Manchester United a d ...
,
Laurent Blanc Laurent Robert Blanc (born 19 November 1965) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back, and is currently the manager of Ligue 1 club Lyon. He has the nickname ''Le Président'', which was given to him ...
, and
Didier Deschamps Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French professional football manager and former player who has been manager of the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, E ...
alongside veterans
Manuel Amoros Manuel Amoros (born 1 February 1962) is a French former professional footballer who played as a right-back. He was capped 82 times for France, and played in the UEFA European Championships finals of 1984 and 1992, and the FIFA World Cup finals ...
,
Joël Bats Joël Bats (born 4 January 1957) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent his entire senior club career in his native France, appearing in a total of 553 competitive club matches and 504 Division 1 matche ...
, and
Jean Tigana Amadou Jean Tigana (born 23 June 1955) is a French former footballer and coach. He has played in midfield and managed professional football extensively throughout France, including 52 appearances and one goal for the France national football team ...
. In Platini's first match in charge, France lost 2–3 to Yugoslavia. France had been up 2–1 with 15 minutes remaining before Yugoslavia scored in the 76th and 82nd minute. In France's next qualification match, the team were beaten by
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and, in the following match, drew 0–0 with Yugoslavia. Through four matches, the team had only accumulated two points, preventing them from qualifying for the 1990 World Cup.


UEFA Euro 1992

The team went undefeated in
UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying Group 1 Standings and results for Group 1 of the UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying tournament. Group 1 consisted of Albania national football team, Albania, Czechoslovakia national football team, Czechoslovakia, France national football team, France, Iceland natio ...
with Cantona and
Jean-Pierre Papin Jean-Pierre Roger Guillaume Papin (born 5 November 1963) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a forward. He was named the Ballon d'Or and IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer of the Year in 1991. Papin was known for ...
scoring 12 of the team's 20 goals. The victories in the group included victories away to Spain and
Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...
. Alongside their perfect qualifying campaign, the team managed to go on a 19 match unbeaten streak that lasted for almost three years. The unbeaten streak began on 29 April 1989 with 0–0 draw and lasted until 19 February 1992 and a 0–2 defeat against
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in London. For his efforts, Platini was named
Manager of the Year Manager of the Year may refer to: * Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award * League Managers Association Manager of the Year * Premier League Manager of the Season The Premier League Manager of the Season is an annual association footba ...
by the World Soccer Awards and the team was quickly named as one of the favourites to win the competition. At the European Championships, France's opponents were Sweden, England, and Denmark. The team drew its first two matches with Sweden (1–1) and England (0–0) before losing to the Danes, who later won the competition. France was eliminated. A week after the completion of the tournament, Platini stepped down as manager and was replaced by his assistant
Gérard Houllier Gérard Paul Francis Houllier (; 3 September 194714 December 2020) was a French professional football manager and player. Clubs he managed include Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup, FA Charity Shield, U ...
.


1994 World Cup qualification

Houllier took over on 26 August 1992 when France lost 0–2 in a vital friendly match against
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
in Paris. The next month, France began their qualification crusade for the
1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
and opened the campaign with an 0–2 loss to
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
. France responded by going on a seven-match unbeaten streak in the qualification group, defeating the likes of Sweden, Finland, and Austria with Cantona, Papin, and Blanc leading the way. The victory to Israel all but secured qualification to the tournament. In France's final two matches, they faced last-place
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and Bulgaria, the only team in the group that could catch them. In the first match against Israel, France were stunned 2–3 in front of their home support by the Israelis who came back from a goal down to score two late goals, including the winning goal in the final minute. The loss to Israel and a 4–1 victory by Bulgaria over Austria meant France needed only a draw in order to qualify for the World Cup. Bulgaria would have to win the match at the
Parc des Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
outright to advance. As expected, the match was tense from the start with many supporters and media later commenting that France seemed not to be playing to win, but rather, not to lose.
Eric Cantona Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (; ; born 24 May 1966) is a French actor, director, producer, and former professional footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Cantona is credited as having made Manchester United a d ...
opened the scoring in the 31st minute following service from Papin and Deschamps. Minutes later, Cantona's goal was cancelled out by a goal from
Emil Kostadinov Emil Lubtchov Kostadinov ( bg, Емил Любчов Костадинов; born 12 August 1967) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a forward and represented the Bulgaria national team at two World Cups. Club career B ...
. Following
halftime In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in or ...
, Houllier and the team held onto the draw by dropping everyone back to defend. The Bulgarians' initial attacks were tenacious, but France held on well into the second half. In the final minute of play,
French Player of the Year __FORCETOC__ The French Player of the Year is an association football award presented annually by the French magazine ''France Football'' since 1959. Originally, only French players playing in France were eligible, but from 1996 French players play ...
David Ginola David Ginola-Ceze (born 25 January 1967) is a French former professional footballer who has also worked as an actor, model and football pundit. A former forward, Ginola played football for ten seasons in France before moving from Paris Saint-Ger ...
(who subbed in for Papin at the 69th minute) earned the team an indirect free kick near the corner flag. After a few seconds,
midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
Vincent Guerin slid a short pass to Ginola, who, rather than shield the ball and run the clock down, swung a deep cross into the Bulgarian box, intended for Cantona. The ball was overhit and quickly intercepted by the Bulgarians who began a
counterattack A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in "war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically seek ...
. Since many of the French players were expecting Ginola to play out time, they were caught off-guard. The counterattack led to a goal from Kostadinov, his second of the match, and France's elimination from the 1994 World Cup. Houiller later blamed Ginola, declaring that "The adventure is over all too soon. With only 30 seconds remaining we were there but we got stabbed in the back and at the worst possible time. The referee still had his whistle to his mouth when Ginola won that free kick near the corner flag, but then he goes and sends in a huge 60-metre cross instead of hanging on to the ball. That allowed Bulgaria to go and hit us on the counter." Deschamps was later quoted saying, "We've made real asses of ourselves." Following constant ridicule and embarrassment, Ginola departed the country for England. The public outcry following the defeat led to the firing of Houllier. His assistant
Aimé Jacquet Aimé Étienne Jacquet (born 27 November 1941) is a French former professional football manager and player. He was manager of the France national football team that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Biography Jacquet was born in Sail-sous-Couzan, L ...
took over. In 2011, it emerged that two of the key Bulgarian players, double scorer Kostadinov and
Luboslav Penev Lyuboslav Mladenov Penev ( bg, Любослав Младенов Пенев; born 31 August 1966) is a Bulgarian professional football manager and former player. Penev played as a forward for several clubs in Bulgaria and Spain. He started h ...
, who set up the winning goal, did not have valid
visas Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...
to be in France and had entered the country illegally. Due to an administrative oversight, the
Bulgarian Football Union The Bulgarian Football Union ( bg, Български футболен съюз, Bǎlgarski futbolen sǎyuz; BFS) is a football association based in Bulgaria and a member of UEFA. It organizes a football league, Bulgarian Parva Liga, and field ...
had omitted to apply for visas for the two players, and only realised the issue when it was too late to apply for the necessary visas in time for the match. Fellow Bulgarian internationals
Borislav Mihaylov Borislav Biserov Mihaylov ( bg, Борислав Биcepoв Михайлов; born 12 February 1963) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper, and President of the Bulgarian Football Union (2005 – 2019; 2021 ...
and Georgi Georgiev, who both played for French team
FC Mulhouse Football Club de Mulhouse (; commonly referred to as FCM or simply Mulhouse) is a French association football club based in Mulhouse. The club was founded in 1893 and currently play in the Championnat National 3, the fifth level of French footb ...
, close to the German border, knew of a quiet border crossing on a back road with low security; Georgiev brought Kostadinov and Penev across the border in a car and on to the match in Paris. Had France been aware of this issue at the time, they may have had a valid cause to apply for the match to be replayed or even forfeited in their favour, thus enabling them to qualify for the World Cup.


Zidane era

Aimé Jacquet Aimé Étienne Jacquet (born 27 November 1941) is a French former professional football manager and player. He was manager of the France national football team that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Biography Jacquet was born in Sail-sous-Couzan, L ...
was manager for
UEFA Euro 1996 The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
qualifying. On 17 August 1994, in his fourth match in charge of the team, he gave
Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached Spanish club Real Madrid and is one of the most ...
, then of
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, his debut. Other players who made their debuts in that match included
Lilian Thuram Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien (; born 1 January 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began playing football professionally in his homeland with Monaco and played in the top flight in France, Italy and Spai ...
and
Bruno Ngotty Bruno Ngotty (born 10 June 1971) is a French former professional footballer. He played as a centre-back from 1988 until 2008, however he came out of retirement briefly in 2011. As well as his native country he has played in the top flight divi ...
. Zidane appeared as a substitute in the 63rd minute with France trailing the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
2–0. After almost 20 minutes on the field, Zidane scored in the 85th minute, then another two minutes later to even the match at 2–2, the final result. With qualifying for Euro 1996 ahead, Jacquet was given a successfully integrated squad composed of the veterans who returned to the team after World Cup failure in captain
Eric Cantona Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (; ; born 24 May 1966) is a French actor, director, producer, and former professional footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Cantona is credited as having made Manchester United a d ...
,
Didier Deschamps Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French professional football manager and former player who has been manager of the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, E ...
,
Laurent Blanc Laurent Robert Blanc (born 19 November 1965) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back, and is currently the manager of Ligue 1 club Lyon. He has the nickname ''Le Président'', which was given to him ...
,
Emmanuel Petit Emmanuel Laurent Petit (born 22 September 1970) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder at club level for Arsenal, Barcelona, Monaco, and Chelsea. He represented France at international level in two FIFA ...
,
Marcel Desailly Marcel Desailly (born Odenke Abbey; 7 September 1968) is a French former professional footballer, widely considered to be among the greatest centre-backs and defensive midfielders to ever play football. During a successful career at club level, l ...
, and
Bixente Lizarazu Bixente Jean-Michel Lizarazu (, born 9 December 1969) is a French former professional footballer who played as a left back for Bordeaux and Bayern Munich, among other teams. He also had 97 caps for the France national team. In a twelve-year i ...
and young and influential players in Zidane, Thuram, and
Christophe Dugarry Christophe Jérôme Dugarry (born 24 March 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a forward. His clubs include Bordeaux, Milan, Barcelona, Marseille, Birmingham City and Qatar SC. He was also a member of the France team t ...
. In January 1995 with the team well into qualifying for EURO 1996, Jacquet lost Cantona due to the Selhurst Park incident. Deschamps replaced him as captain.


UEFA Euro 96

For qualification to the upcoming European Championship, France were in the first group alongside
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
,
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
,
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, and
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. France initially struggled, drawing their first three matches against Slovakia, Romania, and Poland 0–0. France beat Azerbaijan 2–0 on 13 December 1994. In the team's following match, France drew with Israel, but recorded a 4–0 result in the return match against Slovakia. On 6 September 1995, France recorded a 10–0 victory over Azerbaijan, still the national team's biggest victory. Despite finishing qualification undefeated with five wins and five draws, France missed out on first place by one point to Romania. Their second-place finish was enough to qualify for UEFA Euro 1996; France were the last second-place team in the runner-up standings and one spot away from being forced to contest a play-off. Prior to the competition, Jacquet played top teams in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, and
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
in friendlies. France earned positive results in all three matches, included a 1–0 victory over the Germans at the
Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion Mercedes-Benz Arena () is a stadium located in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and home to German Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart. Before 1993 it was called Neckarstadion (), named after the nearby river Neckar and between 1993 and Jul ...
in
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
. The team entered the tournament on a 22-match unbeaten streak, which led to claims France were "the best form team of Europe". At the tournament, France were grouped with qualifying partner Romania,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, and Bulgaria. In the opening match at
St James' Park St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England. St James' Park ...
in
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
, France beat Romania 1–0 with Dugarry scoring the winner. Against Spain in
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
, France drew 1–1 despite being up 1–0 for most of the second half due to a goal from
Youri Djorkaeff Youri Raffi Djorkaeff (born 9 March 1968) is a French former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward. Throughout his club career, he played for teams in France, Italy, Germany, England, and the United States. At ...
. Spain equalised through
José Luis Caminero José Luis Pérez Caminero (born 8 November 1967) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Arguably one of the best Spanish footballers of the 1990s, Caminero was able to play in any midfield position, in the mid ...
in the 86th minute. In the team's final group match against Bulgaria, France needed only a draw to progress to the knockout stage.
Laurent Blanc Laurent Robert Blanc (born 19 November 1965) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back, and is currently the manager of Ligue 1 club Lyon. He has the nickname ''Le Président'', which was given to him ...
scored an early first half goal from a corner kick from Djorkaeff. After limiting the Bulgarians' attack, France finished them off following an
own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...
from
Luboslav Penev Lyuboslav Mladenov Penev ( bg, Любослав Младенов Пенев; born 31 August 1966) is a Bulgarian professional football manager and former player. Penev played as a forward for several clubs in Bulgaria and Spain. He started h ...
. Bulgaria got a goal back six minutes later, but in
injury time Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
Patrice Loko Patrice Loko (born 6 February 1970) is French former professional footballer who played as a striker. Career Loko began his career at Nantes and then moved on to Paris Saint-Germain, where he was part of the team that won the 1996 Cup Winners' ...
scored the final goal in a 3–1 victory. In the quarter-finals, France faced the Netherlands at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...
in Liverpool. The match ended 0–0 in normal time and extra time. In the penalty shootout, every player converted their chance apart from the young
Clarence Seedorf Clarence Clyde Seedorf (; born 1 April 1976) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player. He is regarded by many to be one of the best midfielders of his generation. Seedorf is considered one of the most successful players in UEF ...
, which meant France advanced to the semi-finals to face the Czech Republic. This match also ended in a scoreless draw, which again meant penalties. Jacquet positioned each player in the same spot they were stationed for the shootout with the Dutch. All five players (Zidane, Djorkaeff, Lizarazu, Guérin, and Blanc) converted their chances, but the Czechs were equal to the task converting all five of theirs as well. The next player for France was
Reynald Pedros Reynald Pedros (born 10 October 1971) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He currently manages the Morocco women's national team. Club career Pedros was born in Orléans, Loiret, and is of Sp ...
. Pedros had been praised by the French media for his impressive play with
Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
, but stepped up and took a slow shot that was easily saved by the Czech goalkeeper
Petr Kouba Petr Kouba (born 28 January 1969 in Prague) is a Czech former professional football goalkeeper and current assistant coach for the Czech under-20 and under-21 national teams. He played for Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic, for both he ...
. The next shot for the Czech was converted by
Miroslav Kadlec Miroslav Kadlec (born 22 June 1964) is a Czech former professional football defender. During his career, Kadlec played for four Czech clubs, and also had an eight-year stint with Bundesliga's 1. FC Kaiserslautern, where he was crowned league ...
eliminating France from the competition. Although Cantona had been eligible to return to the team since November 1995, Jacquet preferred to keep the team that had got France to the tournament. The lack of scoring in the team ultimately led to Jacquet considering new options to take up the striker and winger positions in the team.


1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 champions

On 1 July 1992,
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
announced that France would be the host of the
1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
. The announcement led to the construction of the
Stade de France The Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the France national foot ...
, the country's national stadium; built in the
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
ian suburb of Saint-Denis. France were excused from qualifying and began hosting monthly competitive friendly matches beginning with a 2–0 win over
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
on 31 August 1996. Jacquet gave debuts to numerous players during the exhibition matches. Winger
Robert Pires Robert Emmanuel Pires (born 29 October 1973) is a French association football, football coach and former professional Football player, player. Pires played for French clubs FC Metz, Metz and Olympique de Marseille, Marseille prior to his time wi ...
of
Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
fame made his debut in the Mexico match.
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
midfielder
Patrick Vieira Patrick Vieira (born 23 June 1976) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Crystal Palace. He is widely considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. Vieira began his career at ...
made his debut in the team's 2–1 win over the Dutch on 26 February 1997 and, in the team's following match against
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
in April,
Claude Makélélé Claude Makélélé Sinda (born 18 February 1973) is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently a youth coach and technical mentor at Chelsea, having formerly been the head co ...
was given a place in the team; he had already made his debut in 1995. On 11 November against
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
,
Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best players ...
and
Stéphane Guivarc'h Stéphane Pierre Yves Guivarc'h (born 6 September 1970) is a French former professional footballer who played as striker. He featured in the France squad that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup on home soil. His early career was spent in France with ...
made their debuts in the team and
David Trezeguet David Sergio Trezeguet (born 15 October 1977) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker. Trezeguet began his career in Argentina with Club Atlético Platense at the age of eight, progressing through their youth system ...
did so on 28 January 1998 against Spain, in an inauguration match for the recently completed Stade de France. In total, France played in 18 friendly matches leading up to the World Cup earning 10 wins, 5 draws, and suffering 3 defeats. The team recorded wins over Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain and also earned a 1–1 draw against Brazil at the
Stade de Gerland The Stade de Gerland (known for sponsorship reasons as Matmut Stadium de Gerland and otherwise known as Municipal de Gerland or Stade Gerland ) is a stadium in the city of Lyon, France, which serves as home to Top 14 rugby club Lyon OU. It has a ...
in 1997. Jacquet's squad for the World Cup was extremely different from the Euro 1996 squad, with only
Bernard Lama Bernard Pascal Maurice Lama (born 7 April 1963) is a French football coach and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He spent a large part of his career at Paris Saint-Germain. He was also a member of the France national team t ...
, Blanc, Zidane, Deschamps, Petit, Desailly, Djorkaeff, Lizarazu,
Frank Leboeuf Franck Alain James Leboeuf (born 22 January 1968), typically anglicised as Frank Leboeuf, is a French actor, sports commentator and former international footballer who played as a centre-back. With the French national team, Leboeuf won the ...
,
Christian Karembeu Christian Lali Kake Karembeu (born 3 December 1970) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently the sporting director for Olympiacos. Karembeu represented Nantes, Sampdoria, Real Madrid, M ...
, and backup goalkeeper
Fabien Barthez Fabien Alain Barthez (born 28 June 1971) is a French racing driver and former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At club level, he played football in both France and England with Toulouse, Marseille, AS Monaco, Manchester United ...
remaining. Most of the spots available were taken up by the young players who made their debuts during the friendly matches such as Vieira, Henry, Pires,
Vincent Candela Vincent Philippe Antoine Candela (born 24 October 1973) is a French former professional footballer. With the French national team, Candela won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000. Early life Candela was born in Bédarieux, Hérault. Clu ...
, Alain Boghossian, and Trezeguet. Jacquet adopted a 4–3–3 formation with Henry and Djorkaeff on the wings and Zidane playing in an advance midfield playmaker role. Deschamps and Petit served as protectors and distributors of the ball, while full backs Thuram and Lizarazu got forward as often as they could to support the attack. The format of the 1998 FIFA World Cup was different from 1994, as the finals were expanded from 24 to 32 teams. The
golden goal The golden goal or golden point is a rule used in association football, lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the end of normal time. It is a type of sud ...
rule was also introduced to decide knockout matches which went into extra time. Another change in the rules also came into effect at this World Cup, stating that as regulation time was about to expire in any period of play, the fourth official would use a hand-held electronic display to show how many minutes of stoppage time were to be played. France were in a group with South Africa, Denmark, and
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. France beat South Africa 3–0 at the
Stade Vélodrome The Stade Vélodrome (; oc, Estadi Velodròm, ), known as the Orange Vélodrome for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1 since it opened in 1937, ...
in
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, with Henry scoring his first international goal in the 92nd minute. In the team's following match against Saudi Arabia at the Stade de France, they got a 4–0 win with Henry scoring two. The victory secured a spot in the knockout rounds. In the team's final group stage match in
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
against Denmark, France won 2–1 with Djorkaeff scoring a penalty and Petit netting the game-winning goal. In the Round of 16, France faced
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
in
Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...
. The team were without Zidane due to a red card suspension and also Dugarry, who was injured. The match ended scoreless in normal time. In extra time, Laurent Blanc scored the first golden goal in World Cup history in the 114th minute. The golden goal put France into the quarter-finals where they faced rivals
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
at the Stade de France in front of 77,000 supporters. Despite Zidane returning to the team, France were met head on with an equally matched team composed of the likes of
Paolo Maldini Paolo Cesare Maldini (; born 26 June 1968) is an Italian former professional footballer who played primarily as a left back and centre back for AC Milan and the Italy national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of a ...
, Alessandro Costacurta, Fabio Cannavaro, Giuseppe Bergomi, and Roberto Baggio. The match ended in a draw in both normal and extra time, so it went to penalties, where France defeated Italy 4–3 to advance to the World Cup semi-finals for the fourth time with Lizarazu missing for France and Demetrio Albertini and Luigi Di Biagio for Italy. France faced Croatia national football team, Croatia in the semi-finals, with both teams knowing they played Brazil if they won. Croatia opened the scoring a minute into the second half through Davor Šuker. Only a minute later, France equalised through Lilian Thuram who took a pass from Djorkaeff coming in from the right and blasted an 11-metre shot past Dražen Ladić. In the 69th minute, Thuram scored a second goal to put France up 2–1. After receiving a relay pass from Henry, Thuram stepped up and took a piercing 18-metre shot from the right to give France the lead. The two goals scored by Thuram are the only goals he scored for the national team. 2–1 was the final score putting France into the final. The Croatia match ended in controversy when Laurent Blanc was sent off after a skirmish with Croatia's Slaven Bilić. Bilić had sunk down to his knees, seemingly in pain. Replays showed that there was minimal contact between the players. Blanc's expulsion meant he would miss the final. In the final, Jacquet put four players in the midfield. He inserted Karembeu to assist Petit and Deschamps in distributing the ball and to help effectively man-mark both Leonardo Araújo, Leonardo and Rivaldo. Jacquet also moved Zidane wide left. Djorkaeff played just behind the lead striker Guivarc'h for the sole purpose of eliminating the deep-lying playmaking skills of Brazilian captain Dunga. Zidane gave France the lead just before the half-hour with a header from an in-swinging corner and service from Petit. Minutes later, the prolific Brazilian striker Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer), Ronaldo was put through on goal by a long ball from Dunga, but he could not get the better of Barthez, who collided with him. Both needed assistance from medics but quickly recovered. In injury time for the first half, Zidane doubled the team's advantage with an almost identical goal, this time with Djorkaeff providing the assist. In the second half, Ronaldo had a chance to half the deficit. The ball fell kindly for him inside the penalty box, but he could only plant his shot into Barthez's arms. In the 68th minute, France were reduced to 10 men following a second yellow card to Desailly, but the Brazilian attack failed to respond. Petit wrapped up the scoring in the 90th minute to put the victory beyond all doubt. The victory led to jubilation all over the country. Zidane was named the
FIFA World Player of the Year The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA, between 1991 and 2015 at the FIFA World Player Gala. Coaches and captains of international teams and media representativ ...
six months after the tournament. Jacquet was praised by the media and former managers and players for his passion, humility, inspiration, and respect in helping the team win the tournament. Michel Hildago, who won the country's first major title, declared, "This is Aime Jacquet's crowning moment, achieved against winds and tides. There are 60 million happy French people. What they did was just extraordinary." The evening of the victory, Jacquet stepped down from his position.


2000–2006

France won the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, Confederations Cup in 2001, then suffered first round elimination at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. One of the greatest shocks in World Cup history saw France fall to a 1–0 defeat by debutantes Senegal national football team, Senegal in the opening game of the tournament. After France finished bottom of the group without scoring, Lemerre was dismissed and was replaced by Jacques Santini. France became the second nation to be eliminated in the first round while holding the World Cup crown, the first one being Brazil in 1966. After the 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cup, Italy, Spain and Germany were also added to this list. A full strength team started out strongly in UEFA Euro 2004, and were beaten in the quarter-finals by the eventual winners
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. Santini resigned as coach and Raymond Domenech was picked as his replacement. France struggled in the early qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. This prompted Domenech to persuade several past members out of international retirement to help the national team qualify, which they accomplished following a 4–0 win over
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
on the final day of qualifying. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, France finished undefeated in the group stage portion and advanced all the way to the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final, final defeating the likes of
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, Brazil, and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
along the way. France took on
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in the final. Zidane scored an early penalty, while Marco Materazzi equalized 12 minutes later. Zidane was shown a red card and was sent off in his last ever national match after 2006 FIFA World Cup Final#Provocation of Zidane analysis, headbutting Materazzi. Italy won 5–3 on penalties to win the 2006 FIFA World Cup.


Decline


UEFA Euro 2008 collapse

France started its 2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group B, qualifying round for UEFA Euro 2008 on 2 September 2006 by beating Georgia national football team, Georgia in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tbilisi 3–0 with goals from Malouda, Louis Saha and Malkhaz Asatiani (own goal). They then took on world champions
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
3–1 in Paris on 6 September 2006 with Sidney Govou striking twice along with Henry, but were beaten 1–0 by
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
on 7 October 2006, their first European Championship qualifying defeat since they lost 3–2 to Russia national football team, Russia on 5 June 1999. On 11 October 2006, France defeated the Faroe Islands national football team, Faroe Islands 5–0. All the French strikers who played in the match scored; Louis Saha, Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka, and two from
Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
striker
David Trezeguet David Sergio Trezeguet (born 15 October 1977) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker. Trezeguet began his career in Argentina with Club Atlético Platense at the age of eight, progressing through their youth system ...
. France beat Lithuania national football team, Lithuania 1–0 on 24 March 2007 with Chelsea F.C., Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka rescuing an injury hit French side by shooting a long range effort. Louis Saha, Thierry Henry, Franck Ribéry,
Patrick Vieira Patrick Vieira (born 23 June 1976) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Crystal Palace. He is widely considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. Vieira began his career at ...
, and David Trézéguet were injured. France took on Ukraine national football team, Ukraine on 2 June 2007 in Paris. Both teams were hit by injuries, with France missing Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry while Ukraine missed their striker Andriy Shevchenko. The game ended in a 2–0 victory for France, with second-half strikes from Franck Ribéry and Nicolas Anelka, his third goal in three matches. Then, on 6 June 2007, France defeated Georgia national football team, Georgia in Auxerre 1–0, with Samir Nasri scoring his first senior international goal. On 8 September 2007 France and Italy played a 0–0 draw at the
San Siro Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums in ...
in Milan. Once again though, on 12 September 2007, France lost to Scotland and were defeated 1–0 after Mickaël Landreau was caught off guard with a strike from Scotland's James McFadden, at the
Parc des Princes Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
in Paris. On 12 October 2007, their match with the Faroe Islands was threatened with postponement after bad weather kept their plane from landing in the Faroe Islands; they had to spend the night in Norway. The next day the match went ahead, albeit around 30 minutes after scheduled kick-off time with France taking just 8 minutes to open up a 2–0 lead; the match finished 6–0 with strikes from Nicolas Anelka, Thierry Henry, and two goals from Karim Benzema just before half time. In the second half, Jérôme Rothen and Hatem Ben Arfa completed the rout. With Italy's victory over Scotland on 17 November 2007, France qualified for Euro 2008 by two points over Scotland. The squad made a poor start to the UEFA Euro 2008, 2008 European Championships, drawing 0–0 to
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
in Zürich and then losing 4–1 to
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in Bern. For the final group game against
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, Raymond Domenech dropped
Lilian Thuram Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien (; born 1 January 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began playing football professionally in his homeland with Monaco and played in the top flight in France, Italy and Spai ...
and replaced him with Eric Abidal. Abidal looked out of his depth in the centre of defence and subsequently was sent off for a rash challenge on Luca Toni. France continued to play poorly and when they lost 2–0 to Italy, they came last of their group. Only three players from the successful teams of 1998-2000 were selected in the final squad for Euro 2008 by French coach Raymond Domenech, with only
Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best players ...
and Lilian Thuram earning game time, and their effectiveness and performances were soundly criticised by French football media. The third player,
Patrick Vieira Patrick Vieira (born 23 June 1976) is a French professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Crystal Palace. He is widely considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. Vieira began his career at ...
, was initially named the team captain but was unable to take the field in any of France's Euro matches due to a thigh injury. The team's exit from the tournament signalled the international retirements of
Lilian Thuram Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien (; born 1 January 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began playing football professionally in his homeland with Monaco and played in the top flight in France, Italy and Spai ...
, Claude Makélélé, and Willy Sagnol, with the last announcing his club and international retirement synonymously. After the tournament, calls were made for the sacking of Raymond Domenech, and
Didier Deschamps Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French professional football manager and former player who has been manager of the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, E ...
, captain of the 1998 World Cup and 2000 Euro championship teams, was sounded out as a suitable replacement but on 3 July, at a French Football Federation high level meeting in Paris, it was announced that Domenech would be retained as manager.


2010 World Cup qualifying

France's campaign for 2010 World Cup qualification got off to a disappointing start with a 3–1 defeat by
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
in Vienna on 6 September 2008. Speculation followed regarding the future of Raymond Domenech as team coach prior to the subsequent match, against Serbia national football team, Serbia, four days later. There, with goals from
Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best players ...
and Nicolas Anelka, France won 2–1 at home. On 11 October, France drew 2–2 with
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, after coming back from a 2–0 deficit. In 2009, France resumed their qualification with a back to back 1–0 win over Lithuania national football team, Lithuania, thanks to Franck Ribéry, as he scored the only goal in both games on 28 March and 1 April. A narrow 1–0 victory over the Faroe Islands national football team, Faroe Islands in Tórshavn on 12 August 2009 was achieved thanks to a first-half goal by André-Pierre Gignac. A disappointing 1–1 home draw with Romania followed by another 1–1 draw away to Serbia put France on the brink of missing out on the automatic qualification spot as group winners. Thierry Henry scored in both 1–1 draw matches and put his tally to 50 international goals. France finished second in the group, behind Serbia, and earned a spot in the UEFA play-offs against the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
for a place in 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa.


Hand of Henry

Due to France's second-place finish, they went into the UEFA qualification playoffs. In the draw, FIFA controversially decided to use the seeding system to categorise the teams, something they claimed they would not be using. France went into Pot 1 and, on 19 October, they were drawn against the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
with the first leg to be played on 14 November in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
at Croke Park and the second leg on 18 November at the
Stade de France The Stade de France (, ) is the national stadium of France, located just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. Its seating capacity of 80,698 makes it the sixth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is used by the France national foot ...
in Paris. On 14 November 2009, France met the Republic of Ireland in the first leg of the play-off. Nicolas Anelka scored in the 72nd minute when his shot deflected off Sean St Ledger. The first leg finished 1–0 for France. In the second leg, Robbie Keane scored for Ireland and William Gallas for France; following a Indirect free kick, free kick from Florent Malouda into the box,
Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best players ...
handled the ball twice before crossing to Gallas for the winning goal in extra time. Henry afterwards admitted handling the ball. "I have never denied that the ball was controlled with my hand", Henry said. "Naturally, I feel embarrassed at the way that we won and feel extremely sorry for the Irish who definitely deserve to be in South Africa". Despite appeals for a replay, the French Football Federation, and then later
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
, rejected the request. The Football Association of Ireland said that the incident, which dominated news bulletins in Ireland all day as well as being discussed in parliament, had "damaged the integrity of the sport." The controversial incident dominated sports coverage for a week, and led to calls for the introduction of video technology, and also more assistant referees, to prevent such incidents in the future.


2010 FIFA World Cup

On 4 December 2009, the draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was held and France were unseeded and put into the fourth pot of the draw.
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
attributed the placement to the new criteria announced two days before the draw. Former national team manager Michel Hidalgo declared that the move was punishment for the handball incident involving Henry. The lack of seeding did not have a detrimental effect on France, as they were drawn into 2010 FIFA World Cup Group A, Group A alongside the hosts
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
,
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, and
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
. Prior to the tournament, France played friendly matches against Costa Rica national football team, Costa Rica,
Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...
, and China PR national football team, China. Against the last, France were shockingly defeated 1–0 In the competition, France started against Uruguay and drew 0–0. Just Fontaine was frustrated with the performance of Nicolas Anelka and Franck Ribéry. Fontaine also stated that Gourcuff seemed "lost" during the match. The media later reported that Anelka and Ribéry purposely froze Gourcuff out of the match by not passing the ball to him. In the team's next match against
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, France were defeated 2–0. The next day, Anelka was dismissed from the national team after a dispute with team manager Raymond Domenech during half-time of the team's loss to Mexico. The federation condemned Anelka's actions and, following a meeting with the player, Domenech, and team captain Patrice Evra, agreed to send Anelka home. The following day, Evra got into a heated confrontation with team trainer Robert Duverne with the latter having to be restrained by Domenech. The resulting confrontation led to the players returning to the team bus and cancelling training. The team's managing director, Jean-Louis Valentin, announced his resignation from his position and the federation the same day stating he was "sickened and disgusted" by the actions of the team. The team, through Domenech, later released a statement criticising the federation for sending Anelka home based on reports from the media. The federation responded to the statement by declaring the players' boycott "unacceptable" and apologising to the world for the conduct of the players. The federation also announced that following the World Cup, the Federal Council would convene to discuss the current state of the team. On 21 June 2010, the national team returned to training without incident. The following day, France were defeated 2–1 by the hosts
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. The result eliminated them from the competition. The day after the team's elimination, it was reported by numerous media outlets that the
President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...
Nicolas Sarkozy would meet with team captain
Thierry Henry Thierry Daniel Henry (born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach, pundit, and former player who is an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Considered one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best players ...
to discuss the issues associated with the team at the World Cup. The meeting was requested by Henry. On 28 June 2010 FFF president Jean-Pierre Escalettes announced his resignation from his position effective 2 July. Five players were identified as having been key to the events at the World Cup, Nicolas Anelka, Patrice Evra, Franck Ribéry, Jérémy Toulalan and Eric Abidal, and were summoned to a hearing before the FFF disciplinary committee on 17 August 2010. After the expulsion of Anelka and ensuing training strike, Evra and Ribery were summoned for failing in their duties as captain and vice captain, Toulalan was seen as the originator of the statement read out by coach Domenech to the media, while Abidal was accused of refusing to play in the final group match. After the hearing, Anelka was banned from playing for France for 18 games, Evra was banned for five, Ribery for three, and Toulalan for one, while Abidal escaped punishment. Anelka dismissed the sanction as irrelevant, considering himself already retired from international football. On 16 May 2010,
Laurent Blanc Laurent Robert Blanc (born 19 November 1965) is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back, and is currently the manager of Ligue 1 club Lyon. He has the nickname ''Le Président'', which was given to him ...
confirmed his departure from Bordeaux after three seasons in charge. After resigning, Blanc contacted the French Football Federation to enquire about the national team job, which was set to be vacated by Raymond Domenech following the World Cup. Later that day, president Escalettes confirmed that Blanc was a candidate for the position. On 18 May 2010, with Blanc's appointment to the position becoming more probable, Bordeaux chairman Jean-Louis Triaud demanded compensation from the federation. On 20 May 2010, the club reached an agreement with the federation for €1.5 million. On 26 June 2010, French media confirmed that Blanc had signed a two-year contract with the federation and will lead the team to UEFA Euro 2012. The deal was finalised a week later and Blanc was officially named as manager of the team on 2 July. On 6 July, Blanc was presented to the media for the first time as coach and declared: "The France team does not belong to anybody. It is for everyone, for you (the media) the same as for me. I understand what the France team represents, the rights and the requirements linked to this jersey." Blanc also stated that the players involved in the World Cup debacle will be given a clean slate, but he, himself, will speak with the players about what happened and will make his call up decisions based on sporting considerations. On 23 July 2010, following a meeting by the Federal Council of the French Football Federation, all 23 players in the World Cup squad were suspended for the team's 11 August Exhibition match, friendly match against
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
on request of new coach Blanc. Euro 2012 France were drawn in Group D of Euro 2012 qualifying along with Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania, and Luxembourg. France got off to a disastrous start in their first qualifier where they surprisingly lost 0–1 to Belarus at home. However, this loss was followed by three successive wins against Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Luxembourg. France eventually topped their group, thus automatically qualifying for Euro 2012. In the finals in Poland and Ukraine, France were in Group D along with rivals England, Sweden and Ukraine. France began Euro 2012 with a 1–1 draw against England which was followed by a 2–0 win over co-hosts Ukraine. Although France lost their final group game 0–2 to Sweden, they ended second in their group and qualified for the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by eventual champions Spain. Following the tournament, coach Laurent Blanc resigned and was succeeded by Didier Deschamps, who captained France to glory in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. France were drawn in Group I of the UEFA zone qualification for the 2014 World Cup. They were drawn alongside defending champions
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, Belarus national football team, Belarus and Georgia national football team, Georgia. France began well, winning their first two qualifiers against Finland and Belarus. In their next qualifier, against Spain in Madrid, France were heading towards a 1–0 defeat until Olivier Giroud equalised in injury time. France, however, lost their return leg against Spain, falling 0–1 at home. France ended second in Group I and would play against Ukraine national football team, Ukraine in the playoffs. In the first leg at Kiev, France lost 2–0, forcing them to win the second leg by at least three goals in order to qualify. In the second leg at home, France won 3–0 thanks to a brace by Mamadou Sakho and a goal from Karim Benzema.


2014 World Cup

On leading France to the 2014 World Cup, Didier Deschamps extended his contract until Euro 2016. France were drawn in Group E of the 2014 World Cup along with
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, Ecuador national football team, Ecuador and Honduras national football team, Honduras. Although expectations were not very high for France, they were expected to make at least the round of 16. France suffered a huge setback just before the World Cup as star midfielder Franck Ribéry would miss the tournament through injury. France started the World Cup with a 3–0 win against Honduras in which talismanic striker Karim Benzema bagged a brace. This was followed with a 5–2 thrashing of Switzerland and a goalless draw against Ecuador, which was enough for France to win the group and qualify for the knockout stages. France's round of 16 opponents were Nigeria national football team, Nigeria. France won 2–0 and would set up a quarter-final clash against
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. France were beaten by Germany in the quarter-finals courtesy of an early goal by Mats Hummels. Paul Pogba was awarded the Best Young Player award during the tournament.


Revival


Euro 2016

France automatically qualified for Euro 2016 by virtue of being hosts and were considered one of the tournament favorites considering the fact that they had won the last two major tournaments which they hosted. Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa are not in squad for Euro 2016. France were drawn in Group A of the tournament alongside
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and minnows Albania national football team, Albania. France won their group with wins over Romania and Albania and a goalless draw against Switzerland and were poised to face the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
in the round of 16. Ireland took the lead after just two minutes through a controversially awarded penalty which was converted by Robbie Brady. A brace from Antoine Griezmann, however, helped France to win the match 2–1 and qualify for the quarter-finals, where they beat a resilient
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
5–2 to set up a semi-final clash against world champions and tournament co-favourites
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. France won the match 2–0 and this marked their first win over Germany at a major tournament since 1958. France, however, were beaten by
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
1–0 in the final courtesy of an extra-time goal by Eder (Portuguese footballer), Eder. Griezmann was named the Player of the Tournament and was also awarded the Golden Boot in addition to being named in the Team of the Tournament, alongside Dimitri Payet. The defeat meant that France became the second nation to lose the final of a European Championship on home soil after Portugal failed to secure the title in 2004.


2018 FIFA World Cup

Didier Deschamps lead France to their third World Cup Final in 2018. France finished top of its group ahead of
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
, Peru national football team, Peru and Australia national soccer team, Australia. In the round of sixteen, France faced
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
in which they beat them 4–3, thanks to great performance by the talented teenager Kylian Mbappé who scored twice for his team. In the quarter-finals, France beat
Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
2–0.
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
managed to beat
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
2–1 to face France in the semi-finals, the match ended with a 1–0 win for France through a Samuel Umtiti header from a corner in the second half. After beating Croatia in final, France won their second World Cup title on 15 July 2018, in Luzhniki stadium in Russia. Kylian Mbappé won the "Best young player" award, scoring four goals along with Antoine Griezmann who was awarded the FIFA World Cup awards#Golden Ball, Bronze Ball and the FIFA World Cup awards#Golden Boot, Silver Boot as well. In June 2019, the President of the French Football Federation, Noël Le Graët, and French coach
Didier Deschamps Didier Claude Deschamps (; born 15 October 1968) is a French professional football manager and former player who has been manager of the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, E ...
received the title "Officier of the Légion d'honneur"; meanwhile, the 23 players in the 2018 World Cup, all received the title "Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur". ;Group C ---- ---- ---- ----


Euro 2020

The postponed Euro 2020 which was held in summer 2021, witnessed the return of Karim Benzema to the national team after a five-year hiatus. France finished top of their group ahead of Germany, Portugal and Hungary, yet they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Switzerland on penalties after a 3–3 draw.


2022 FIFA World Cup

Several players became injured prior and during the tournament including: Karim Benzema, Lucas Hernandez, N'Golo Kanté, Presnel Kimpembe, Mike Maignan, Christopher Nkunku and Paul Pogba. However, France managed to reach its second consecutive final, after defeating Poland, England and Morocco national football team, Morocco in the knockout stages. In the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final, Final, France lost 4–2 on penalties to Argentina after a thrilling 3–3 draw.


Previous squads

;FIFA World Cup squads *2018 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 2018 FIFA World Cup squads – France *2014 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 2014 FIFA World Cup squads – France *2010 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 2010 FIFA World Cup squads – France *2006 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 2006 FIFA World Cup squads – France *2002 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 2002 FIFA World Cup squads – France *1998 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 1998 FIFA World Cup squads – France *1986 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 1986 FIFA World Cup squads – France *1982 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 1982 FIFA World Cup squads – France *1978 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 1978 FIFA World Cup squads – France *1966 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 1966 FIFA World Cup squads – France *1958 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 1958 FIFA World Cup squads – France *1954 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 1954 FIFA World Cup squads – France *1938 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 1938 FIFA World Cup squads – France *1934 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 1934 FIFA World Cup squads – France *1930 FIFA World Cup squads#France, 1930 FIFA World Cup squads – France ;UEFA European Championships squads *UEFA Euro 2020 squads#France, 2020 European Football Championship squads – France *UEFA Euro 2016 squads#France, 2016 European Football Championship squads – France *UEFA Euro 2012 squads#France, 2012 European Football Championship squads – France *2008 European Football Championship squads#France, 2008 European Football Championship squads – France *2004 European Football Championship squads#France, 2004 European Football Championship squads – France *2000 European Football Championship squads#France, 2000 European Football Championship squads – France *1996 European Football Championship squads#France, 1996 European Football Championship squads – France *1992 European Football Championship squads#France, 1992 European Football Championship squads – France *1984 European Football Championship squads#France, 1984 European Football Championship squads – France *1960 European Nations' Cup squads#France, 1960 European Nations' Cup squads – France ;Confederations Cup squads *2003 FIFA Confederations Cup squads#France, 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup squads – France *2001 FIFA Confederations Cup squads#France, 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup squads – France


References


External links


France National Football Team Official Website

France National Football Team Database 1976-Nowadays

France National Football Team Database

France National Football Team
*IFFHS Archiv
1904–1910
{{DEFAULTSORT:History of the France National Football Team France national football team History of association football by national team, France History of organizations based in France, National football team