France topped Group B of the qualifiers with 22 points and a goal difference of +26, going unbeaten.
Those stats were a measure of their dominance. Les Bleus got their campaign underway with a 4-0 hammering of Dutch, going three goals up inside the first 21 minutes. They never looked back and trashed Gibraltar 14-0. Kylian Mbappé was the top scorer with nine goals.
Tournament Record
The two-time champions will be featuring for a tenth time in the continental finals. In 1960, France hosted the maiden edition of the European championship, but they had to wait until 1984 to claim the Henri Delaunay trophy as Michel Platini steered Les Bleus to glory on home soil. France staged the tournament again in 2016, but Portugal striker Eder broke French hearts in the final in a smash-and-grab victory.
Sixteen years earlier, David Trezeguet’s golden goal against Italy had ensured a second coronation for Les Bleus.
The Manager
Didier Deschamps is once again in the driving seat after consolidating his position at the World Cup in Qatar. His contract has been extended until 2026 and talk of Zinedine Zidane taking the reigns has died down. He guided Les Bleus to World Cup victory in 2018 and almost repeated the feat four years later. He has been one of the few international coaches to rebuild a team. As a club manager, he almost won the Champions League with AS Monaco in 2004.
The Star Player
It’s a huge summer even by Kylian Mbappé’s own exalted standards. In August, he will be a Galactico alongside other global stars Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, but first, he can lead the French to continental glory for the first time since 2000.
Mbappé burst on to the world stage at the 2018 World Cup, becoming one of the youngest players ever to lift the trophy. He has seen become the face of French football and at 25, he has lost none of the qualities that make him such an outstanding player.
What to Expect
All favourites at this tournament have their flaws, but at least France can count on an incredible talent pool, experience and a winning mentality.
They reached the final of the World Cup twice in a row but will want to forget memories of that dramatic Euro 2020 elimination at the hands of Switzerland three years ago when Les Bleus looked jaded. That was perhaps an aberration as Deschamps failed to integrate the returning Karim Benzema into the side.
He has made France an international force and this time Oliver Giroud will lead the line with Kylian Mbappé, Moussa Dembele and Antoine Griezman right behind him. Yet despite all the class and talent, Deschamps’s France remains unloved.
The criticism has been recurrent: Les Bleus are too pragmatic – they do not catch the imagination. But that’s perhaps also part of Deschamps’s genius.
National teams spend such little time together because of a congested calendar that working out elaborate tactical plans is simply not realistic. Can Deschamp then work his pragmatic magic once more? France must reach the last four at least, anything else will be considered a failure.
Schedule
Monday, June 17 – France – Austria – Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf, 9 pm
Friday, June 21 Netherlands – France – Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, 9 pm
Tuesday, June 25 France – Poland – BVB Stadion, Dortmund, 6pm