World Cup 2026: How France created football’s deepest talent pool
France has developed a football talent system that is considered unmatched globally, overcoming past underachievement. The establishment of training academies in the 1970s laid the groundwork for this success, leading to the national team's victories in major tournaments. Today, France boasts a depth of talent that could potentially field multiple competitive teams for the World Cup.
- ▪Belgian defender Thomas Meunier claimed France could field three teams capable of winning the World Cup.
- ▪A lineup of French players not selected for the World Cup would rank among the top five teams in value.
- ▪The French Football Federation created training academies in the 1970s to improve the national team's performance.
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Sport|World Cup 2026World Cup 2026: How France created football’s deepest talent poolFrance overcame decades of underachievement to create a football talent system unmatched anywhere in the world.ListenListen (7 mins)SaveClick here to share on social mediashare-nodesSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoKylian Mbappe kisses the 2018 World Cup trophy after France beat Croatia in the final [AFP]By Frank Dell’ApaPublished On 29 May 202629 May 2026Belgian defender Thomas Meunier caused debate recently after saying that France has the footballing talent to put out three teams capable of winning the World Cup.Could Les Bleus, who are co-favourites with Spain in this summer’s World Cup, really lift the title with their second- or third-string team? Maybe not, but…
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