[WorldCup2018]

France

Pedigree: France won the World Cup when they hosted the tournament in 1998 and also reached the final eight years later, losing on penalties to Italy. They reached the quarter-finals in Brazil in 2014 and were runners-up as hosts at Euro 2016.



Key player: Antoine Griezmann. The Atletico Madrid striker was the top scorer with six goals as France reached the Euro 2016 final and scored the second as France beat Belarus 2-1 to secure their qualification on 10 October.

Premier League players: Laurent Koscielny, Alexandre Lacazette and Olivier Giroud (all Arsenal), Tiemoue Bakayoko and N'Golo Kante (both Chelsea), Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace), Eliaquim Mangala and Benjamin Mendy (both Manchester City), Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba (both Manchester United), Kurt Zouma (Stoke, on loan from Chelsea), Hugo Lloris and Moussa Sissoko (both Tottenham).

Who's the boss? Didier Deschamps played 103 times for France and helped them win the 1998 World Cup and the European Championship in 2000. He has been national team boss since July 2012 and guided them to the final of Euro 2016, although they lost 1-0 to Portugal after extra time.