France’s forward Dimitri Payet (R) is congratulated by France’s forward Olivier Giroud after scoring the 2-1 during the Euro 2016 group A football match between France and Romania at Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on June 10, 2016. / AFP PHOTO .
Facts on France, who play in World Cup Group C:
Country: France
Honours: World Cup winners 1998; European Championship winners 1984, 2000; Confederations Cup winners 2001, 2003; Olympic Gold 1984
Past World Cup performance: Fifteenth participation. Best result: Winners in 1998
FIFA ranking: 7th
Main clubs: Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Lyon, Marseille, Saint-Etienne, Nantes
Nickname: Les Bleus
How they qualified: Finished top of Group A in European qualifying
Friendly matches before the World Cup: 2-0 win v Republic of Ireland on May 28 (Paris), June 1 v Italy (Nice), June 9 v United States (Lyon)
23-man World Cup squad:
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint-Germain)
Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City/ENG), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart/GER), Adil Rami (Marseille), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona/ESP), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid/ESP)
Midfielders: N’Golo Kante (Chelsea/ENG), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus/ITA), Steven N’Zonzi (Sevilla/ESP), Paul Pogba (Manchester United/ENG), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich/GER)
Forwards: Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona/ESP), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea/ENG), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Florian Thauvin (Marseille)
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