Ahead of the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, we here at For The Win are previewing some key teams to watch in this tournament. Next up is the Argentina women’s national team. You can see the full list of team previews and read about the USWNT here.
Will this be the year that France is finally able to live up to its promise and position itself as a major 2023 FIFA World Cup contender?
After a respectable quarterfinals finish to the United States in 2019, France will be looking to push further than it ever has on a quest for its first ultimate victory.
Led by new coach Herve Renard, France will try and buck recent World Cup trends to make its presence known in a challenging group stage.
France's group and schedule
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France is in Group F along with other teams like Jamaica, Brazil and Panama. At -170, the team is a slight favorite to win the group, with Brazil having the second-best odds on FanDuel of this assembly.
Here’s the group stage schedule for the USWNT:
- July 23 vs. Jamaica | 6 a.m. ET on FOX
- July 29 vs. Brazil | 6 a.m. ET on FOX
- August 2 vs. Panama | 6 a.m. ET on FOX
Key players for France
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Eugénie Le Sommer: France’s star forward returns for another World Cup. She’s netted 89 goals for France, which puts her as the team’s all-time leading scorer. For the French to make a serious push for ultimate victory, she’ll be vital to their plans.
Wendie Renard: The team’s captain and a staunch defender, Renard will have a major role in keeping the team’s hopes alive as a leader and a key cog on in front of the goal.
Kadidiatou Diani: Joining Le Sommer in the strikers group is Diani, who has 22 goals for France since joining the team in 2014. She’ll have a crucial veteran presence in leading the offense.
France's recent World Cup history
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France’s women’s team has never finished better than fourth at the World Cup, that finish coming in 2011.
In 2019, the France finished with a 2-1 loss to the United States in the quarterfinals, which is also where the team finished in 2015. This is the fifth World Cup the team has qualified for since 1991.
What the experts are saying about France
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On FanDuel, France has the sixth-best odds of any program to win this year’s World Cup at +1300.
Hoping to build on the team’s 2019 momentum, this French squad will try and establish itself as a formidable contender with a strong group stage, but Brazil won’t be an easy out en route to the knockout stage.
Last fall, ESPN predicted that the team would have to shake off past history to really position itself as a dark horse in the tournament.
We have long talked about France as a dark horse or even one of the favourites to win major silverware. Yet, for a multitude of reasons, it has yet to happen. Les Bleues started so well at the Euros and there was a rising belief that it was finally their time to shine, but the team looked less assured with each passing match.
Even without a banana-peel draw, it’s hard to know just which France will turn up and whilst they have the ranking to best anyone they face in the group stage, there are pitfalls everywhere for a team that have historically shown a mental fragility.
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