Kylian Mbappe has been the face of France on the international stage. The French star leads a loaded roster at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In the last two World Cups, he has scored 12 goals, putting Mbappe in striking distance of the World Cup career goals mark.
Meanwhile, France has been dominant in the last two World Cups. In 2018, they ran through the group stage before beating Croatia in the final, 4-2. In 2022, they would return to the final, this time to face Argentina. Mbappe scored three times, but after 90 minutes and then extra time, the score was still tied at three. France would fall 4-2 in penalty kicks, giving Argentina the 2022 World Cup title. Now, Mbappe and the rest of the loaded roster look to make another run in 2026.
Kylian Mbappe, Forward, Real Madrid (Spain)
The French captain and Real Madrid forward, Kylian Mbappe, is one of the most dominant scorers in all of the sport. His list of accomplishments includes being the UEFA Champions League top scorer twice, the 2022 FIFA World Cup Silver Ball Winner, and the Ligue 1 player of the year five different times. At the club level, he has played for Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid. In that time, he has played in 483 matches while scoring 373 goals. Meanwhile, he has been dominant on the international stage.
He would join the French National Team for the 2018 World Cup. The then 19-year-old scored his first World Cup goal in the group stage, winning over Peru. He would go on to score three more goals in the knockout stage of the 2018 tournament. Then in 2022, he scored eight times, bringing his total to 12 career World Cup goals. Overall, he has scored 56 times for France, while also scoring a total of 400 career goals. He is the youngest player to score 400 goals since Pelé in 1964.
Now, he is looking to break the all-time goals record at the World Cup. If he can get the five goals needed to take the lead, France will be making a deep run at the tournament.
Ousmane Dembélé, Forward/Winger, Paris Saint-Germain (France)
While Mbappe is the face of France, Ousmane Dembélé has done nothing but win. He won the 2025 Ballon d’Or while helping PSG win the UEFA Champions League. Dembélé would help the team defend their Champions League crown, scoring the equalizing goal against Arsenal in the 2026 Champions League Final. He also won the Ligue 1 Player of the Year for a second straight season, becoming just one of five men to do that, along with Mbappe, among others.
In the last three years at Paris Saint-Germain, he has appeared in 134 fixtures while finding the back of the net 61 times. Overall in his club career, he has scored 136 goals in 421 fixtures. At the international level, he has not found the same success. He has just seven goals in 58 caps for the French National Team. While recent performance for his club team has been dominant, Dembélé often has not been getting the same level of play in the last two World Cups. The 29-year-old has shown growth in recent years, and if he can extend that growth onto the international stage, France will be returning to the finals.
Michael Olise, Winger/Attacking Midfielder, Bayern Munich (Germany)
Michael Olise has been one of the most dangerous attacking options for Bayern Munich in recent years. The 24-year-old is set to make a massive impact on the French National Team. His professional senior career began at Reading in 2018-19, playing for three years, with seven goals in 73 appearances. The next three seasons were spent with Crystal Palace of the EPL, with him finding the back of the net 16 times in 90 caps. Olise has broken out over the past two years with Bayern Munich.
In his two seasons with Bayern, Olise has appeared in 107 games and scored 42 goals. In August 2024, he was called up to the French National Team for the first time, playing in the UEFA Nations League. He scored twice in the Nations League and twice during World Cup qualification. For France, he will likely be playing in an attacking midfield position behind Mbappe, but his passing ability and overall agility could lead to quality scoring opportunities for one of the best scorers in World Cup history.
William Saliba, Center Back, Arsenal (England)
While the focus for France is on the attacking part of the team, William Sailba will hold down the back end of the French National Team. The Arsenal center-back is known for his on-ball ability as well as his passing. He was a major part of the Arsenal team that won the Premier League in 2025-26, while also being part of the Champions League team that lost to PSG in the final in 2025-26. His work on the Club level has seen him named to the Champions League Team of the Tournament once, as well as the FIFA Men’s World 11 and the Premier League Team of the Year three times.
He first joined the French senior squad as an injury replacement to Benjamin Pavard, but would make the 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup. In the qualifying cycle for the 2026 World Cup, he was one of the most-used defensive players for France. Beyond his tactical versatility, he may impact the high-powered offense of France as well. He has the ability to lead quick counterstrikes down the midfield or on the wing. That will allow him to find players like Dembélé and Olise in the open field, and could lead to goals.
If Saliba can continue to be the defensive anchor he has been for Arsenal, while also creating counterattack contributions, France is going to be difficult to stop at the 2026 World Cup.
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