Didier Deschamps names France squad for World Cup: PSG lead the way with 5 selections

PSG dominate Didier Deschamps’ 26-man France squad for the World Cup 2026, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America.

A report by L’Équipe reveals that the Ligue 1 leads the way in the Deschamps’ World Cup squad. Eight players are selected from the French top flight, five of them from Paris Saint-Germain.

The likes of Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué, and Ousmane Dembélé are called up for the tournament, as Randal Kolo Muani was excluded from the final list. The French coach decided to go with Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, who offers a preferable profile to Kolo Muani for Deschamps. The 2022 World Cup runner-up missed out on a spot in the team due to an inconsistent season with Tottenham Hotspur, where he is on loan from PSG.

Real Madrid, Milan, Palace, and Bayern Munich follow PSG with two names each from their squad. Los Blancos send Aurelien Tchouameni and Kylian Mbappe. The Rossoneri make their appearance on the list with Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot, while the Selhurst Park dwellers send Maxence Lacroix and Mateta. Dayot Upamecano and Michael Olise are selected from Bayern.

Deschamps’ squad in the last three World Cups consisted of players from Europe’s top five leagues, but this time, seven different leagues make their mark, thanks to the inclusion of N’Golo Kanté from Fenerbahçe and Theo Hernández (Al-Hilal).

The Premier League trails Ligue 1 with seven selections, followed by Serie A, La Liga, and the Bundesliga.

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