France were one of the 13 teams in the inaugural World Cup in 1930. Their best results are wins in 1998 and 2018.

"France's World Cup journey spans nearly a century, from the inaugural 1930 tournament to becoming two-time champions. Their blend of technical excellence and tactical innovation has made them a perennial contender."
— Robert J. Wood, PhD, Founder of Topend Sports

France controversially qualified for the 2010 tournament with the assistance of a handball by Thierry Henry, and then more controversially were knocked out in the first stage of the tournament.

France qualified again in 2014 and made it to the quarter-finals. In 2018, they won the tournament for the second time 4-2 in a high-scoring match against Croatia. In 2022 France lost the final in a penalty shootout to Argentina.

France FIFA World Cup Appearances

France have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 17 times, and here is how it played out for the team at different World Cup appearances:

1930

France did not make it out of the group stage in this competition.

1934

France did not make it out of the first round of the competition after losing 2-3 to Austria.

1938

France made it to the Quarter-finals of the 1938 FIFA World Cup. Italy won 3-1 against France in the Quarter-finals of the competition.

1954

France did not make it out of Group 1 at the FIFA 1954 World Cup.

1958

France made it to the Semi-finals of the FIFA 1958 World Cup. Brazil beat France 5-2 to progress to the Final of the competition. France later won the Third place final match against Germany.

Notable Record: Just Fontaine scored 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup - a record that still stands today after over 65 years.

1966

France did not make it out of Group 1 at the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

1978

France did not make it out of Group 1 at the 1978 FIFA World Cup.

1982

France made it to the Semi-finals at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, but lost 4-5 to Germany on penalties.

1986

France made it to the Semi-finals at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, but lost 0-2 to Germany. France won the Third place final match against Belgium.

1998

France won its first World Cup trophy at the 1998 FIFA World Cup by defeating Brazil 3 nil in the final game of the competition.

2002

France did not make it out of Group A at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

2006

France made it to the 2006 World Cup Final, but lost 3-5 to Italy on penalties.

2010

France did not make it out of Group A at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

2014

France lost 0-1 to Germany in the Quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

2018

France won its second World Cup trophy at the 2018 FIFA World Cup by defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final match.

2022

France made it to the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final, but lost 2-4 to Argentina on penalties.

2026

France has qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Trivia

  • France was involved in the first-ever World Cup match played against Mexico, with France winning 4-1. The match was played in Montevideo, Uruguay on 13 July 1930.
  • France's captain in the first World Cup match, Alex Villaplane, was killed fifteen years later for alleged collaboration with the Nazis. Villaplane was shot dead by French resistance fighters in July 1945.
  • The first player to be replaced in the World Cup finals due to injury was French goalkeeper Alex Thepot. The goalkeeper was kicked by a Mexican player in the jaw in the opening match of the 1930 World Cup. He was replaced by midfielder Augustin Chantrel.
  • The record for the most goals at a World Cup is 13 by Frenchman Just Fontaine in 1958, scored in six games.
  • A rooster, the symbol of the French team, was thrown onto the field by a fan during the match between France and Canada on 1 June 1986. The rooster was dead when the referee removed it off the pitch. France won the match 1-0.
  • Zinedine Zidane became the first French player to be sent off in World Cup finals in the First Round match against Saudi Arabia on 18 June 1998. France had kept a clean sheet for 68 years until France 98!
  • France played off against Italy in the 2006 final, with man of the tournament, Zinedine Zidane, being red carded for a bizarre incident where he headbutted the opposition player.
  • France's winning coach in 2018, Didier Deschamps, was also captain of the winning 1998 side, and became the third man to win the World Cup as a player and a coach after Brazil's Mario Zagallo and Germany's Franz Beckenbauer.