World Cup 2026: ‘Incredible’ France bid to eclipse previous glory

Before the match against Morocco, former England striker Ian Wright called Deschamps’ team “one of the clear favorites for the World Cup”.

Wright continued to impress after conceding the lone goal in Boston in the 83rd minute as France scored 22 attempts to Morocco’s five.

“It’s hard to see the weakness,” Wright said. “If Spain get past them, they have the quality to get through them and Lamin’s blistering pace to try and punish them, but France look insignificant. Then they’ve got individual brilliance.”

As well as Mbappe and Dembele, France also have plenty of attacking options in their squad, including Bayern Munich’s Michael Olisse, Paris Saint-Germain pair Bradley Barkola and Desiree Dou, Manchester City’s Ryan Cherky and Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mattea.

France, by contrast, have now conceded just two goals in six games – a late 3-1 win over Senegal and once in a 4-1 win over Norway, despite most of their first 11 games being against teams that have qualified for the knockout stages.

“France have an extra gear to go,” said former Manchester United captain Roy Keane. “France were better in every aspect of the game, but that doesn’t mean they can’t lose.”

“France are in a very good position. Your attacking players are scoring goals and your individual players are going past people. Any chance you have to beat France you have to score the first goal. Even if you get the first goal, teams have to come to them, and they will pick you for fun.”