In 1984, under the leadership of the three-timeBallon d'Or winnerMichel Platini, France wonEuro 1984 (its first official title), a CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup (1985), and reached two World Cup semi-finals (1982 and 1986). During the captaincy ofDidier Deschamps, withZinedine Zidane being the star player,Les Bleus won the1998 World Cup andEuro 2000. They also won the Confederations Cup in2001 and2003. Three years later, France made it to thefinal of the2006 World Cup, losing 5–3 onpenalties toItaly. A decade later, the team reached thefinal ofEuro 2016, where they lost 1–0 toPortugal in extra time. Two years after that, France won the2018 World Cup, its second title in that competition. After winning the2021 Nations League, they became the first, and so far, the only European national team to have won every senior FIFA and UEFA competition.[4][5] In 2022, France reached a second consecutiveWorld Cup final, but lost 4–2 on penalties toArgentina.
France is also one of only two countries, the other beingBrazil, to have won all men's FIFA 11-player competitions at all age levels,[6][7][8][9][10] having claimed both the FIFA World Cup,FIFA U-20 World Cup,FIFA U-17 World Cup, the now-defunct FIFA Confederations Cup, andOlympic title, as well as the first to complete the collection, after theU-20 national team captured the first U-20 World Cup title in2013.[8]
France national team that played its first international vBelgium in 1904.
The France national football team was created in 1904, around the time ofFIFA's foundation.[18] The team competed inits first official international match on 1 May 1904 againstBelgium inBrussels, ending in a 3–3 draw.[19] The following year, on 12 February 1905, France contested their first-ever home match againstSwitzerland. The match was played at theParc des Princes in front of 500 supporters. France won the match 1–0 with the only goal coming fromGaston Cyprès. Due to disagreements betweenFIFA and theUnion des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA), the country'ssports union, France struggled to establish an identity. On 9 May 1908, the French Interfederal Committee (CFI), a rival organization to the USFSA, ruled that FIFA would now be responsible for the club's appearances in forthcoming Olympic Games and not the USFSA. In 1919, the CFI transformed themselves into theFrench Football Federation (FFF). In 1921, the USFSA finally merged with the FFF.
In July 1930, France appeared in the inauguralFIFA World Cup, held in Uruguay. In their first-ever World Cup match, France defeatedMexico 4–1 at theEstadio Pocitos inMontevideo.Lucien Laurent scored the first goal in World Cup history. Conversely, France also became the first team to not score in a World Cup match after losing 1–0 to group stage opponentsArgentina. Another loss toChile resulted in the team bowing out in the group stage. The following year saw the first selection of ablack player to the national team.Raoul Diagne, who was of Senegalese descent, earned his first cap on 15 February in a 2–1 defeat toCzechoslovakia. Diagne later played with the team at the1938 World Cup, alongsideLarbi Benbarek, who was one of the first players of North African origin to play for the national team. At the1934 World Cup, France suffered elimination in the opening round, losing 3–2 toAustria. On the team's return to Paris, they were greeted as heroes by a crowd of over 4,000 supporters. France hosted the 1938 World Cup and reached the quarterfinals, losing 3–1 to defending champions (and eventual 1938 winners)Italy.
France's first 'Golden Generation' in the late 1950s comprised players such asJust Fontaine,Raymond Kopa,Jean Vincent,Robert Jonquet,Maryan Wisnieski,Thadée Cisowski, andArmand Penverne. At the1958 World Cup, France reached the semi-finals where they lost toBrazil. In the third-place match, France defeated West Germany 6–3 with Fontaine recording four goals, which brought his goal tally in the competition to 13, a World Cup record that still stands today. France hosted the inauguralUEFA European Football Championship in 1960. For the second straight international tournament, the team reached the semi-finals, but were defeated 5–4 byYugoslavia despite being up 4–2 heading into the 75th minute. In the third-place match, France was defeated 2–0 by Czechoslovakia.
The 1960s and 1970s saw France decline significantly playing under several managers and failing to qualify for numerous international tournaments. On 25 April 1962,Henri Guérin was officially installed as the team's first manager. Under Guérin, France failed to qualify for the1962 World Cup and the1964 European Nations' Cup. The team returned to major tournament play by qualifying for the1966 World Cup, but did not make it past the group stage phase of the tournament. Guérin was fired following the World Cup. He was replaced byJosé Arribas andJean Snella, who worked ascaretaker managers in dual roles. The two only lasted four matches and were replaced by former international Just Fontaine, who in turn was only in charge for two matches.Louis Dugauguez succeeded Fontaine and following his early struggles inqualification for the1970 World Cup, was fired and replaced byGeorges Boulogne, who could not get the team to the competition. Boulogne was later fired following his failure to qualify for the1974 World Cup and was replaced by the RomanianȘtefan Kovács, who became the only international manager to ever manage the national team. Under the management of Kovács, France failed to qualify forUEFA Euro 1976. After two years in charge, he was sacked and replaced byMichel Hidalgo.
Under Hidalgo, France flourished, mainly due to players such as defendersMarius Trésor andMaxime Bossis, strikerDominique Rocheteau and midfielderMichel Platini. These players, alongsideJean Tigana,Alain Giresse andLuis Fernández, formed the"carré magique" ("Magic Square"), which would haunt opposing defenses beginning at the1982 World Cup. France reached the semi-finals losing on penalties toWest Germany. The semi-final match-up is considered one of the greatest matches in World Cup history and wasmarked by controversy.[20] France finished fourth overall, losing the third-place playoff 3–2 to Poland. France earned their first major international honor two years later, winningEuro 1984, which they hosted. Under the leadership of Platini, who scored a tournament-high nine goals, France defeated Spain 2–0 in the final. Platini andBruno Bellone scored, before Hidalgo departed the team in order forHenri Michel to take over. France subsequently won gold at the1984 Summer Olympicsfootball tournament and, a year later, defeated Uruguay 2–0 to win theArtemio Franchi Trophy, an early precursor to theFIFA Confederations Cup. In a span of a year, France were holders of three of the four major international trophies. At the1986 World Cup, France reached the semi-finals, losing a rematch to West Germany, but achieved third place with a 4–2 victory over Belgium.
In 1988, the FFF opened theClairefontaine National Football Institute. Its opening ceremony was attended by then-President of France,François Mitterrand.[21] Five months after Clairefontaine's opening, manager Henri Michel was fired and was replaced by Michel Platini, who failed to get the team to the1990 World Cup.[22]
UnderGerard Houllier, France and its supporters experienced a major disappointment in failing to qualify for the1994 World Cup. With two matches to play, qualification had been all but secured with matches remaining against last-placedIsrael and in-contentionBulgaria. However, France was upset at home by Israel 3–2 after leading 2–1 late in the match and, against Bulgaria, conceded a 90th-minute goal for a 2–1 defeat.[23] Thesubsequent blame and public outcry led to the firing of Houllier and departure of several players, from the national team fold. Houllier's assistantAimé Jacquet was appointed as manager.
Under Jacquet, the national team achieved multiple successes. The squad comprised some experienced players from the group that had failed to reach the 1994 World Cup as well as some talented younger players, such asZinedine Zidane. The team reached the semi-finals ofEuro 1996, where they lost 6–5 on penalties to theCzech Republic. The team's next major tournament was the1998 World Cup, which France hosted. France went through the tournament undefeated and became the seventh nation to win the World Cup, defeating Brazil 3–0 in the final at theStade de France in Paris.[24] Jacquet stepped down after the country's World Cup triumph and was succeeded by assistantRoger Lemerre who guided them throughEuro 2000. Led byFIFA World Player of the Year Zidane, France defeated Italy 2–1 in the final.David Trezeguet scored thegolden goal inextra time.[25] The victory gave the team the distinction of holding both the World Cup and Euro titles, a feat first achieved by West Germany in 1974; this was also the first time that a reigning World Cup winner went on to capture the Euro. Following the result, the France national team was accorded the number one spot in theFIFA World Rankings. In the following year, the team won the2001 FIFA Confederations Cup.[26]
After this period of achievement, France were much less successful in subsequent tournaments, and failed to make it past the group stage at the2002 World Cup. One of the greatest shocks in World Cup history saw France defeated 1–0 by debutantesSenegal in the opening game of the tournament. France became only the second nation to be eliminated in the first round as World Cup holders, the first being Brazil in 1966. After the2010,2014, and2018 World Cups, Italy, Spain, and Germany were also added to this list.[27][28] After France finished bottom of the group, Lemerre was dismissed and was replaced byJacques Santini. A full-strength team started out strongly atEuro 2004, but they were upset in the quarter-finals by the eventual winnersGreece. Santini resigned as coach andRaymond Domenech was picked as his replacement. France struggled in the early qualifiers for the2006 World Cup. This prompted Domenech to persuade several past members out of international retirement to help the national team qualify, which they accomplished following a convincing 4–0 win overCyprus on the final day of qualifying.
In the 2006 World Cup final stages, France finished undefeated in their group and advanced to the final, defeating Spain, Brazil, andPortugal in the knockout matches. France played Italy in thefinal, with the match finishing 1–1 after extra time. Zinedine Zidane had given France an early lead through aPanenka penalty which hit the crossbar before bouncing past the goal line, however Italy defenderMarco Materazzi equalised from a header seven minutes later. Italy ended up winning 5–3 on penalties. The match featured an incident during extra time between Zidane and Materazzi in whichZidane headbutted Materazzi on the chest and was sent off.[29] This was Zidane's last appearance in a football match as he announced previously that he would retire from football after the 2006 World Cup.[30]
The French team in front of fans after the 2006 World Cup
France started itsqualifying round forEuro 2008 strong and qualified for the tournament, despite two defeats toScotland. After the performance in the qualifiers, France performed poorly at the final tournament, ending in last place of their group, behindNetherlands,Italy andRomania, obtaining just one point after a 0–0 draw with the Romanian side.[31][32] Just like the team's previous World Cup qualifying campaign, the 2010 campaign got off to a disappointing start with France suffering disastrous losses and earning uninspired victories. France eventually finished second in the group and earned a spot in the UEFA play-offs against theRepublic of Ireland for a place inSouth Africa. In the first leg, France defeated the Irish 1–0 and in the second leg procured a 1–1 draw, via acontroversial act by France forwardThierry Henry, to qualify for the World Cup.[33]
At the finals in South Africa, the team continued to underperform and were eliminated in the group stage, while the negative publicity the national team received during the competition led to further repercussions back in France. Midway through the competition,strikerNicolas Anelka was dismissed from the national team after reportedly having a dispute, in which obscenities were passed, with team manager Raymond Domenech during half-time of the team's loss toMexico.[34][35] The resulting disagreement over Anelka's expulsion between the players, the coaching staff and FFF officials resulted in the players boycotting training before their third game.[36][37][38] In response to the training boycott, Sports MinisterRoselyne Bachelot lectured the players and "reduced France's disgraced World Cup stars to tears with an emotional speech on the eve of their final group A match".[39] France then lost their final game 2–1 to hostsSouth Africa and failed to advance to the knockout stage.[40] The day after the team's elimination, it was reported by numerous media outlets that thenPresident of FranceNicolas Sarkozy would meet with team captainThierry Henry to discuss the issues associated with the team's meltdown at the World Cup, at Henry's request.[41] Following the completion of the World Cup tournament, Federation PresidentJean-Pierre Escalettes resigned from his position.[42]
Domenech, whose contract had expired, was succeeded as head coach by former internationalLaurent Blanc.[43] On 23 July 2010, at the request of Blanc, the FFF suspended all 23 players in the World Cup squad for the team's friendly match againstNorway after the World Cup.[44] On 6 August, five players who were deemed to have played a major role in the training boycott were disciplined for their roles, and Nicolas Anelka also received an 18-match ban, effectively ending the forward's international career.[45][46]
AtEuro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, France reached the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by eventual champions Spain.[47][48] Following the tournament, coach Laurent Blanc resigned and was succeeded byDidier Deschamps, who captained France to glory in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.[49][50] His team qualified for the2014 World Cup by beating Ukraine in the play-offs.[51] At the 2014 World Cup, France lost to eventual champions Germany in the quarter-finals courtesy of an early goal byMats Hummels.[52]
France automatically qualified as hosts forUEFA Euro 2016,[53] advancing to the knockout stages, where they defeated the Republic of Ireland and Iceland.[54] In the semi-final, France defeated Germany 2–0, marking their first win over Germany at a major tournament since1958.[55][56] France, however, were beaten byPortugal 1–0 in thefinal courtesy of an extra-time goal byEder.[57]
UEFA Euro 2020 was postponed until 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[61] At Euro 2020, France finished top of a group containing Germany, Portugal and Hungary,[62] which was described by pundits as the "group of death".[63] However, they were eliminated by Switzerland in the round of 16.[62] The Swiss had held France to a 3–3 draw in normal time before winning on penalties.[62] France would go on to win the2020–21 edition of theUEFA Nations League, after winning advancement to the final tournament from a group consisting of inaugural champions Portugal. France defeatedSpain 2–1 in thefinal for their first title.[64]
At the2022 FIFA World Cup, France looked to defend their title in Qatar.[65] After finishing top of their group, France did manage to reach a second successive World Cup final, defeating Poland, England and Morocco in the knockout stages.[66] However, they were defeated on penalties by Argentina after a thrilling 3–3 draw.[67]
France qualified forUEFA Euro 2024 in Germany, where they finished second in thegroup stage following a victory overAustria 1–0 and two draws againstNetherlands (0–0) andPoland (1–1), therefore advancing to the knockout stage. They defeated Belgium 1–0 in theround of 16 and later advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Portugal in penalties following a 0–0 draw. France were later defeated by Spain 2–1 in the semi-finals,[68] with this becoming their first defeat in regular time since losing to Germany at the 2014 World Cup.[69]
In 2025, Didier Deschamps has confirmed he will leave when his contract expires after the 2026 World Cup.[70]
Following the renovation of the Parc des Princes in 1972, which gave the stadium the largest capacity in Paris, France moved into the venue permanently. The team still hostedfriendly matches and minor World Cup and UEFA Euro qualification matches at other venues. France have played home matches in a French overseas department twice – in 2005 againstCosta Rica inFort-de-France (Martinique) and in 2010 againstChina inSaint Pierre (Réunion). Both matches were friendlies.
In 1998, theStade de France was inaugurated as France's national stadium ahead of the 1998 World Cup. Located inSaint-Denis, a Parisian suburb, the stadium has an all-seater capacity of 81,338. France's first match at the stadium was played on 28 January 1998 against Spain. France won the match 1–0, with Zinedine Zidane scoring the goal. Since that match, France has used the stadium for almost every major home game, including the1998 World Cup final.
Prior to matches, home or away, the national team trains at theINF Clairefontaine academy inClairefontaine-en-Yvelines. Clairefontaine is the national association football centre and is among 12 élite academies throughout the country. The centre was inaugurated in 1976 by former FFF presidentFernand Sastre and opened in 1988. The center drew media spotlight following its usage as a base camp by the team that won the 1998 World Cup.
In the 20th and 23rd minute of an international friendly on 13 November 2015, against Germany,three groups of terrorists attempted to detonate bomb vests, at three entrances of Stade de France, and two explosions occurred. Play would continue, until the 94th minute, in order to keep the crowd from panicking. Consequently, the stadium was evacuated through the unaffected gates of the stadium away from the players benches. Due to the blocked exits, spectators who could not leave the stadium had to go down to the pitch and wait until it was safer. As a result of the attacks, both teams would remain in the stadium until the day after.[71]
The national team has a broadcasting agreement withTF1 Group, who the Federal Council of the FFF agreed to extend its exclusive broadcasting agreement with the channel. The new deal grants the channel exclusive broadcast rights for the matches of national team, which includefriendlies and international games for the next four seasons beginning in August 2010 and ending in June 2014. TF1 will also have extended rights, notably on the Internet, and may also broadcast images of the national team in its weekly program,Téléfoot.[72] The FFF will receive €45 million a season, a €10 million decrease from the €55 million they received from the previous agreement reached in 2006.[73]
After France won their second World Cup in2018,M6 together withTF1 broadcast all international fixtures featuring France respectively until 2022.[74]
USFSA team that represented France at the 1900 Summer Olympics, wearing a white shirt with the rings emblem. That shirt was also worn in the first international v Belgium in 1904.
The France national team utilizes a three colour system composed of blue, white, and red. The team's three colours originate from thenational flag of France, known as thetricolore. Nevertheless, the first France shirt (as seen in their first official international match againstBelgium in 1904) was white, with the two interlinked rings emblem ofUSFSA –the body that controlled sport in France by then–[75] on the left.[76]
France normally wear blue shirts, white shorts, and red socks at home, while, when on the road, the team utilizes an all-white combination or white shirts and socks with blue shorts. Between 1909 and 1914, France wore a white shirt with blue stripes, white shorts, and red socks. In a 1978 World Cup match againstHungary inMar del Plata, both teams arrived atEstadio José María Minella with white kits, so France played in green-and-white striped shirts borrowed fromClub Atlético Kimberley.[77]
Beginning in 1966, France had its shirts made byLe Coq Sportif until 1971. In 1972, France reached an agreement with German sports apparel manufacturerAdidas to be the team'skit provider. Over the next 38 years, the two would maintain a healthy relationship with France winning Euro 1984, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 while wearing Adidas' famous tricolour three stripes. During the 2006 World Cup, France wore an all-white change strip in all four of itsknockout matches, includingthe final.[78] On 22 February 2008, the FFF announced that they were ending their partnership with Adidas and signing withNike, effective 1 January 2011. The deal was valued at €320 million over seven years (1 January 2011 – 9 July 2018), making France's blue shirt the most expensive sponsorship in the history of football.[79][80]
The first France kit worn in a major tournament produced by Nike was the Euro 2012 strip, which was all dark blue and used gold as an accent colour.[81] In February 2013, Nike revealed an allbaby blue change strip.
In advance of France's hosting of Euro 2016, Nike unveiled a new, unconventional kit set: blue shirts and shorts with red socks at home, white shirts and shorts and with blue socks away. The away shirt as worn in pre-Euro friendlies and released to the public also featured one blue sleeve and one red sleeve in reference to the "tricolore". However, due to UEFA regulations, France was forced to wear a modified version with the sleeve colours almost desaturated in their Euro 2016 group stage game against Switzerland, which continued to be worn during2018 World Cup qualifying.[82]
France is often referred to by the media and supporters asLes Bleus (The Blues), which is the nickname associated with all of France's international sporting teams due to the blue shirts each team incorporates. The team is also referred to asLes Tricolores orL'Equipe Tricolore (The Tri-color Team) due to the team's utilization of the country's national colors: blue, white, and red. During the 1980s, France earned the nickname the"Brazilians of Europe" mainly due to the accolades of the"carré magique" ("Magic Square"), who were anchored byMichel Platini. Led by coachMichel Hidalgo, France exhibited an inspiring, elegant, skillful and technically advanced offensive style of football, which was strikingly similar to theirSouth American counterparts.[87] Despite being offence oriented, France's defence is considered one of the best in world for their aggression and technicality. Their defence played a vital role in winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup and had earned them the title of "Mur de fer" ("The Iron Wall").
France was one of the four European teams that participated at theinaugural World Cup in 1930 and have appeared in sixteenFIFA World Cups as of 2022.[92][93] The national team is one of eight sides to have won the World Cup.[94] France won their first World Cup title in1998 on home soil by defeatingBrazil 3–0 in the final match.[95]
In2006, France finished as runners-up losing 5–3 on penalties toItaly.[96] The team has also finished in third place on two occasions in1958 and1986 and in fourth place once in1982. The team's worst results in the competition were first round eliminations in2002 and2010. In 2002, the team suffered an unexpected loss toSenegal and departed the tournament without scoring a goal, while in 2010, a French team torn apart by conflict between the players and staff lost two of three matches and drew the other.[97][98]
In2014, France advanced to the quarter-finals before losing 1–0 to eventual champions Germany.Four years later, France defeated Croatia 4–2 in thefinal match and won the World Cup for the second time.[99] In2022, France finished runners-up to Argentina, losing 4–2 on penalties.
France is one of the most successful nations at theUEFA European Championship having won two titles in1984 and2000. The team is just belowSpain with four titles andGermany with three. France hosted theinaugural competition in 1960 and have appeared in eleven UEFA European Championship tournaments, tied for fourth-best. The team won their first title on home soil in 1984 and were led byBallon d'Or winnerMichel Platini. In 2000, the team, led byFIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, won its second title in Belgium and the Netherlands. The team's worst result in the competition was a first-round elimination in1992 and2008.
France have appeared in two of the eightFIFA Confederations Cups contested and won the competition on both appearances. The team's two titles place in second place only trailingBrazil who have won four. France won their first Confederations Cup in2001 having appeared in the competition as a result of winning the FIFA World Cup in 1998. The team defeatedJapan 1–0 in the final match. In the following Confederations Cup in2003, France, appearing in the competition as the host country, won the competition beatingCameroon 1–0 afterextra time.
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