World Cup 2026: How France built the deepest talent pool in football | World Cup 2026 news

Belgian defender Thomas Meunier recently sparked controversy when he claimed that France have the footballing talent to field three teams capable of winning the World Cup.

Are Les Bleus, who are loved by Spain in this summer’s World Cup, will they really lift the title with their second or third string team? Maybe not, but their skills are definitely Mariana Trench-deep.

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Consider this: According to transfermarkt.com, the 26-year-old Frenchman could be the most valuable player among the top five teams – ahead of Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands and reigning champions Argentina.

Lucas Chevalier 30 million euros ($35m); Pierre Hare 32 million, Jeremy Jacquet 55 million, Leny Yoro 50 million, Adrien Truffert 25 million; Boubacar Kamara 40 million, Eduardo Camavinga 50 million; Dilani Bakwa 28 million, Senny Mayulu 40 million or Khephren Thuram 40 million, Mousa Diaby 28 million; Junior Kroupi 40 million. = 418 million (38 million average)

So, how did Les Bleus get to this point?

It started with disappointment after French teams failed regularly on the biggest stage from the 1930s to the 1970s. Answer, manager of the national team Georges Boulogne said in the early 1970s, it will belong to the French Football Federation to create training schools known as Centers de Formation.

“France has not won any trophies, and it was decided that they needed to create something new,” INF (Institut National du Football) director Clairefontaine Franck Bentolila told Al Jazeera.

The government supported the program, seeing it as promoting the French spirit through sport, as well as a way to win trophies.

A total of 16 centers were established, the first opening in 1974 with the main center in Vichy. It recruited a lot of people, attracting young players from all over the country, as well as foreign departments. The center laid the foundation, preparing the players for professional work and the national team.

The history was mixed at first. In the 1980s, France won the European Championship and Olympic Games titles (both in 1984) and reached the finals of two World Cups, but failed to participate in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups.

But by 1998, everything went well, so-called “Black-White-Beur” the team that won the World Cup at home. The multi-ethnic movement represented a revolution for the French people, as well as guaranteeing the Federal development program. Bentolila said coach Aime Jacquet dedicated the victory to “all the clubs and schools that don’t practice sports – it’s also your trophy”.

“The period (1980s) with (Michel) Platini, (Alain) Giresse, (Jean) Tigana, they had a lot of talent, but we won’t win the World Cup,” Bernard Lama, a footballer who led the national team in the 1990s, told Al Jazeera.

“Unlike our generation, all the boys were from the schools, and we were hungry to win the title, and also, we had one special talent in Zinedine Zidane.”

France went on to lift the 2018 World Cup and were finalists in 2006 and 2022.

‘We have players who can change’

Lama shows the success of France in geographical integration, and contribution of heirs.

“You have people from abroad – Africa, French Guyana, Martinique – they give us two things, music and sports,” said Lama.

“And, now, there is a younger generation from abroad, and they are French.” (Ousmane) Dembele, (Desire) Doue, are French, they are not natural born, they grew up in France, mostly around Paris.

“And he’s hungry, you understand, for many reasons. Also, it’s not just a matter of work, the first thing is he has skills.”

Lama sees the danger in football, in general, of players being too boring and “robot”, but France have a lot to offer.

“We are fortunate to still have these players who can make a difference,” Lama said. “Maybe that’s why we are good, we have players like (Kylian) Mbappe, Dembele, Doue. They hate to lose and, physically and technically, they can change each one individually.

“And that is the strength of the national team, and PSG, our ability to score. Today, we have four or five guys – (Maghnes) Akliouche, (Rayan) Cherki, a talent of a different kind. When you have more talent, it gives the coach more answers, offensive answers.”

Many members of the national team, regardless of their background, passed through the schools, but their development begins long before this.

“It’s a culture,” Bentolila said. “In America, when you’re young, you have a basketball in your hand, or a soccer ball in your hand. In France, you have a ball at your feet when you’re a baby – and the opportunity to go out into the open.”

That part of the process is understood in many countries. Is there a secret to France’s success, or are they simply doing better than most?

“The secret,” said long-time coach Stephane Nado, “is a combination of hard work, structure and organization.”

Nado said: “The player is at the center, the heart, of the project. The player will receive training. And we will not remove them from their family. It is important that they keep their roots, which is very important in mind. This is why France is one of the best in the world in producing players that they export.”

Clairefontaine’s training combines street and organizational skills, including “a lot of 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2”, said Bentolila. “You have to fight. You are good at knocking down and first touch, now you prepare to take, 5 vs 2. Once you get the ball, you have to control it. We do that a lot.”

Clairefontaine is now focusing on the smaller teams, giving responsibility to the senior players at the clubs. And the development is expanding beyond the center and setting up club schools, said Bentolila.

“Paris and Sao Paulo are the best places in the world for art,” said Bentolila. “Why? Private schools. It’s very difficult. Children, eight and nine years old, are playing every day. Amateur coaches give not food, but a snack at 4 o’clock. Then, they do homework and studies. When they are 12 years old, they play like Mbappe.

“In Paris, you have clubs without training that nobody knows about, and they can beat (the youth teams of) Barcelona and well-trained clubs. They are better than PSG, Paris FC. Many players – they play everywhere, at any time, eight years against 10 years. They are like soldiers, they fight every day, and they are good because they play under pressure.”

In the 1980s, Les Bleus were called “The Brazilians of Europe”. It took a while, but France seems to have said hello. And they have done it in their own way.

“Brazilian teachers (used to) tell me, ‘In our country, we are poor, but we can do well in football or music. So, we start the day with football,'” said Bentolila.

“In France, we go to school, first, then, we practice football. We do this every day and, like Brazil, we play hard and play well.”