Currently, there are several national teams that can be considered as candidates to win the 2026 World Cup. One of the first that comes to mind when talking about favorites is undoubtedly France, which has been demonstrating good performances in the most demanding tournaments, such as the World Cup itself or the Euro Cup. However, no matter how high their level, there is one detail that stands out: although it may seem contradictory, there are almost no French players left in France.
In the current squad of the Blues, 14 of the 26 called up do not have French origins (none of their parents are French by birth), and within that group, 11 were born in France and 3 in other countries. Additionally, of the remaining 12 members, 7 are "half French" (one of the parents was born in France), of which 6 were born there and one elsewhere, leaving only 5 members who are "pure French" (born in France and parents of French origin).
This fact can be seen reflected in the recent photo of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, alongside the team led by Didier Deschamps, where most do not resemble what has historically been associated with a French person.
To gain perspective on the current situation of the French team, in the 1998 edition, which they hosted and won, the squad was made up of many more "French" players. Although there were still several players who did not have Blues origins or were born on European soil, the difference was much smaller: 11 "non-French" (7 born in France and 4 elsewhere), 1 "half French" and 10 "pure French", including Deschamps himself.
The evolution of these figures highlights a change that goes far beyond football. The national team has become a reflection of the social transformations that France has experienced since the late 20th century, driven by years of uncontrolled immigration mainly from Africa, the Caribbean, and various regions of Europe.
While for some this phenomenon represents a sign of integration and the ability of sport to channel talent regardless of family origin, others see in these numbers a sign of the progressive decline of the demographic weight of the historical French population within one of the most important symbols of national identity.
The origins of the 26 players of the "French National Team"
Non-French Origins (None of their parents are French; 14)
Born in France (11):
William Saliba (Father from Lebanon and mother from Cameroon)
Dayot Upamecano (Both parents from Guinea-Bissau)
Ibrahima Konaté (Both parents from Mali)
Maxence Lacroix (Father from Guadeloupe *1 and mother from Madagascar)
Aurélien Tchouaméni (Both parents from Cameroon)
Manu Koné (Both parents from Ivory Coast)
N’Golo Kanté (Both parents from Mali)
Ousmane Dembélé (Father from Mali and mother of Mauritanian-Senegalese origin)
Désiré Doué (Both parents from Ivory Coast)
Kylian Mbappé (Father from Cameroon and mother from Algeria)
Maghnes Akliouche (Both parents from Algeria)
Born elsewhere (3):
Mike Maignan (Born in French Guiana *1. Father from Guadeloupe *1 and mother from Haiti)
