Officially, France Without Real Madrid Midfielder and PSG Keeper at the 2026 World Cup

JAKARTA - There are no Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier when France national team coach Didier Deschamps announces the squad that will compete in the 2026 World Cup. Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike is also sure to be cut because of an achilles tendon injury in April 2026.

Camavinga was not included in the 26 players who appeared in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Because of that, he had difficulty competing for a place in Madrid's starting lineup. In addition, Camavinga was plagued by injuries several times, making it more difficult to add playing time at the club.

Deschamps said that Camavinga's absence would not be easy. However, he had to consider the squad when he did not include Camavinga and Chevalier.

Chevalier's failure to enter Les Bleus was a surprise because he was believed to be on the rise after being recruited by PSG from Lille. Moreover, Chevalier successfully displaced the main goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma who eventually moved to Manchester City so that he could still stand under the crossbar.

However, Chevalier then suffered a thigh injury which made him no longer the first choice. Chevalier eventually struggled to compete with Mike Maignan, the current French goalkeeper.

In fact, Deschamps prefers to call Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser who has never been in the national team. The 2026 World Cup will certainly be Robin's debut, competing with Brice Samba (Rennes) if Maignan is rested.

"I can imagine how disappointed he (Camavinga) is. The problem is that he has had a difficult season. He rarely plays and often gets injured. So I have to make a decision by prioritizing the squad," Deschamps said as quoted by france24.

Meanwhile, Ekitike's absence is not too worrying for Deschamps because France has abundant forwards. In addition to captain Kylian Mbappe who has just recovered from a thigh injury, Deschamps has a PSG trio, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue.

Not to mention Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram who is getting more and more in Serie A Italy and Rayan Cherki at Man City. On the other hand, Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who just bagged three caps with the national team, surprisingly got a call.

In the back, Deschamps still relies on Arsenal defender William Saliba. Together with Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano, he built the solidity of the French defense sector. In addition, there are Liverpool defenders Ibrahima Konate and Maxence Lacroix who show consistency with Crystal Palace and full back Lucas Hernandez.

"This is the squad [France]. It's not about the 26 best players, but it's more about balance and how the team can build togetherness," said Deschamps, who led France to win the 2018 World Cup.

Official List of 26 French National Team Players for the 2026 World Cup:

Goalkeeper: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Robin Risser (Lens), Brice Samba (Rennes); Back: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Lucas Hernandez (PSG), Theo Hernandez (Al-Hilal), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munchen); Midfield: N'Golo Kante (Fenerbahce), Manu Kone (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG); Front: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (PSG), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Ousmane Dembele (PSG), Desire Doue (PSG), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Muenchen), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan)