Will France Retain the World Championship at Qatar 2022?
France have proven themselves to be a real force in international football, having won the World Cup for the second time when they beat Croatia 4-2 in the final at Russia 2018. It was a victory that showed character as, two years before, the French had lost to Portugal in the final of Euro 2016.
So France return to Qatar 2022 as the defending champions. The question is, will they defend their title successfully? If you’ve been studying the World Cup betting odds, it may come as no surprise that Brazil are the favorites to win, receiving around +420 on the betting lines. However, sportsbooks believe France are still in with a strong shout and have placed them as third favorites to win, with +750 on the betting lines, or in some cases as second favorites.
How likely are France to retain their title?
France have proven they’re more than capable of holding their own on the world stage. However, some key players will be missing from their squad. Paul Pogba, who was instrumental in the country’s 2018 campaign, will miss the tournament courtesy of a torn meniscus in the knee. Central midfielder N’golo Kante will also be unavailable for World Cup duty, as he’s recovering from surgery on a hamstring injury.
When it comes to recent form and qualifying for the tournament, France have shown a mixture of electrifying form and of a slightly more mediocre one. They absolutely decimated Kazakhstan 8-0, which took them four ahead of second place Finland, who they were to play next in the group, and qualified with a game to spare.
Their form in the Nations League, meanwhile, may leave sports betting punters a little wary. The team managed just one win in six games and lost twice to their Group D rivals Denmark. Not the kind of form you’d want to see from a defending champion.
Key players
Despite injury ravaging the French midfield, quality still abounds on the team, and coach Didier Deschamps has plenty of options to put out a strong side in Qatar. Here are a couple of players who will be crucial when the action begins:
Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe may have missed the penalty against Switzerland that saw France go crashing out of Euro 2020, but don’t feel deceived for one minute. You’ll still be watching a world class striker. He has clinical finishing and blistering pace that terrifies defenses. They know that if they step up too high, they won’t be able to catch him. He’s also calm under pressure, moves intelligently and is an adept dribbler, so dropping off and giving him space is also a major risk.
Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema is the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner and has sparkled in the Champions League, having scored 15 goals. Ten of these were in the knockout stages alone, so he’s going to strike fear into the hearts of defenses at Qatar 2022.
Just like Mbappe, Benzema scores goals with a variety of finishes. Although he favors striking the ball with the inside of his foot, sometimes he strikes through the ball. Regardless of how he hits it, he can strike with immense power and not sacrifice accuracy, forcing goalkeepers to scramble across the goalmouth to keep shots out of the back of the net.
Positioning is another strong aspect of his play. Teams that favor man marking will struggle against him as he’s on the move constantly, never allowing players to get too close. He’ll also stay away from aerial confrontations, as he’s not an obvious aerial target, and can attack crosses under less pressure by steering clear of these duels.
Who will France face?
Out in Group D, the team will surely feel unthreatened by Tunisia and Australia. A more worrying prospect for them, however, are Denmark, who finished above them in the UEFA League and have beaten the French both at home and away. Nevertheless, France will be confident they can make it to the knockout stages.
If they do triumph in their group, they’re likely to clash with Poland or World Cup regulars Mexico. Again, they might fancy their chances. From there, it’s going to be a very hard road to retaining their title. England, Brazil, Argentina and the Netherlands are all opponents who are likely to be obstructing their path as much as possible so they can make their own route to World Cup glory.
France are going to have to battle hard to lift the World Cup trophy again. The favorites are Brazil, who will be looking to live up that expectation and deliver for their own nation. If France are to disappoint them and all the other teams, they’re going to have bring their A-game, which they’ve certainly done in the past and gone on to taste World Cup glory.
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