Mbappe, Dembele lead France’s 26-man squad in World Cup

Published at : 15 May 2026, 11:26 am
Mbappe, Dembele lead France’s 26-man squad in World Cup
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Kylian Mbappe and Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembele will lead a star-studded France attack after Didier Deschamps announced his 26-man squad for this summer's World Cup, reports AFP.

Only Olivier Giroud (57) has scored more than Mbappe's 56 goals for France, with the Real Madrid forward expected to captain his country despite recent struggles with a thigh injury.

Dembele scored 35 goals and won the Champions League with Paris St-Germain last season to become only the second French player this century to win the Ballon d'Or but is yet to score at a World Cup despite featuring in the past two squads.

Bayern Munich's Michael Olise and Dembele's PSG team-mate Desire Doue complete an exciting attacking quartet while Man City playmaker Rayan Cherki and Arsenal defender William Saliba are among seven Premier League-based players in the squad.

Full-back Lucas Hernandez and midfielder N'Golo Kante join Mbappe and Dembele as the only survivors from France's 2018 World Cup-winning group.

Deschamps, who has led France to back-to-back World Cup finals, has made a few surprise calls ahead of his final major tournament as head coach.

There is no place in the squad Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga or Tottenham's Randal Kolo Muani – both of whom were involved in 2022.

PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier also misses out, with uncapped Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser joining Brice Samba as back-up to Mike Maignan.

Liverpool's Huge Ekitike, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in April, is a notable, but expected, absentee.

"It's a squad. Not necessarily the 26 best players. It's about balance and how the team comes together," Deschamps told French TV channel TF1.

"I can imagine how disappointed [Camavinga] must be. He's coming off a tough season where he didn't play as much and suffered injuries. [But] I've got decisions to make and a squad to put together."

France will begin their campaign against Senegal in New Jersey on 16 June, with further Group I matches against Iraq (22 June) and Norway (26 June).

France World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Robin Risser (Lens), Brice Samba (Rennes)

Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Lucas Hernandez (Paris St-Germain), Theo Hernandez (Al Hilal), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamenaco (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Fenerbache), Manu Kone (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris St-Germain)

Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (Paris St-Germain), Rayan Cherki (Man City), Ousmane Dembele (Paris St-Germain), Desire Doue (Paris St-Germain), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Jean-Phillipe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan)


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Mushfiqur to play for Fortune Barishal in BPL 2024

Published at : 24 September 2023, 03:42 pm
Mushfiqur to play for Fortune Barishal in BPL 2024

Bangladeshi wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim is set to feature for Fortune Barishal in the forthcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

 

Mushfiqur had played for Sylhet Strikers in the last edition. His price was fixed at 80 lakhs in the players' draft according to the category. Which means he was in 'A' category.

The top category player will play along with other star players like Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Khaled Ahmed in Fortune Barishal.

Neymar quits PSG to sign for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal

Published at : 20 September 2023, 05:06 pm
Neymar quits PSG to sign for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal

Neymar said he was relishing “new challenges and opportunities in new places” after he joined Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal Tuesday, becoming the latest big name lured to the oil-rich Gulf state.

The Brazil forward, 31, ends a six-year stay in the French capital and follows in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane in swapping Europe for the Middle East.

“I have achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but I have always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and opportunities in new places,” Neymar said in a statement from the Saudi Pro League.

“I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment,” he added.

Neymar ‘in negotiations’ over Saudi move as Mbappe returns to PSG good books

Published at : 20 September 2023, 05:05 pm
Neymar ‘in negotiations’ over Saudi move as Mbappe returns to PSG good books

Neymar was “in negotiations” on Sunday to become the latest football superstar to decamp for Saudi Arabia, leaving Paris Saint-Germain just as Kylian Mbappe was brought back in from the cold by the French champions.

A source close to PSG told AFP that 31-year-old Neymar “no longer figures in the club or manager’s plans” with the Brazilian immediately linked to Al-Hilal in the Gulf kingdom.

Another source in Saudi Arabia said that “direct negotiations” between Neymar’s agents and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) were ongoing.

PSG get better of Dortmund in Champions League opener

Published at : 20 September 2023, 05:03 pm
PSG get better of Dortmund in Champions League opener

Paris Saint-Germain got their Champions League campaign off to a winning start on Tuesday as a Kylian Mbappe penalty set them up for a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at the Parc des Princes.

The French champions had dominated the first half without overly troubling the Dortmund defence, but they went ahead four minutes after the break when Mbappe scored a spot-kick awarded for a Niklas Suele handball.

Achraf Hakimi added a memorable second, and PSG could have won the Group F encounter by a far more handsome margin in the end.

The result immediately puts them in control of the group, after AC Milan and Newcastle United drew 0-0 earlier, and coach Luis Enrique will hope they can build on this performance when they visit the English side next in a fortnight.

"It was an almost perfect evening," said Luis Enrique.