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France entered the 2026 World Cup as one of the favorites to lift the trophy after two consecutive appearances in the final (including the 2018 victory).
The search did not reach Kylian Mbappé and company, as Les Bleus reached the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual champions Spain. In the bronze final, they lost once again in a 6-4 thriller to England to finish the tournament in fourth place.
The two defeats that closed the tournament were a bitter way to end what had been a showcase of talent for France. They opened the group stage with a 3-1 win over Senegal and then a 3-0 win over Iraq. A 4-1 victory over Norway secured Group I, followed by a round of 32 victory over Sweden by a score of 3-0. That followed a tough 1-0 win over Paraguay in the round of 16 and then a 2-0 win over Morocco in the quarter-finals.
So what’s next for France’s top players after the 2026 World Cup?
It was a record-breaking summer for Mbappé, even if he failed to win the second World Cup of his career. With 10 goals, he won the Golden Boot for the most prolific scorer of the tournament. And with 22 World Cup goals in his three appearances, he is the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
Mbappé now returns to Real Madrid for his third season at the Spanish powerhouse. He will play with José Mourinho, who returns for his second spell in charge of Madrid. Mbappé has yet to win either the LaLiga title or the Champions League, something he hopes to finally achieve this season.
Michael Olise may not have found the back of the net at the World Cup, but he definitely helped his teammates do so. Olise finished with seven assists this summer, by far the most contributor of any player in that category. That mark surpassed Pelé’s 1970 record for most assists in a single World Cup since records began in 1966.
Olise was linked with a move to Real Madrid ahead of the tournament, but will remain at Bayern Munich, where he has flourished and become one of the team’s top performers. He also led the team to two consecutive Bundesliga titles.
Ousmane Dembélé was another of the stars of the French attack that shone during the summer. He scored a hat-trick against Norway, becoming the third player (Just Fontaine, Kylian Mbappé) to do so. He finished the tournament with five goals; only Fontaine and Mbappé reached that mark.
Dembélé returns to Paris Saint-Germain, where the winger has finally realized the potential he showed in flashes at both Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund. He has helped PSG win back-to-back Champions League titles and won the 2025 Ballon d’Or. Expect PSG to dominate the French league once again and go for a third consecutive Champions League crown.
