The French national team will participate in its seventeenth FIFA World Cup, to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in 2026, seeking a third title that was denied by Argentina in Qatar 2022. In this regard, the 'Les Bleus' squad comes into the tournament with strong performances, having won in Russia 2018 and finishing runner-up three years ago. This adds to the title they won for the first time in their history when they hosted the World Cup in 1998.
At the 1930 World Cup in Uruguay, France was eliminated in the first round, finishing third in Group 1 with 2 points, behind the Argentine team (6 points) and Chile (4 points), and ahead of Mexico (0 points). In their debut, they crushed Mexico 4-1, with goals from Lucien Laurent, Marcel Langiller, and André Maschinot (2), while Juan Carreño scored for the losers. In the second match, they lost 1-0 to Argentina, with a goal from Luis Felipe Monti, and in the final match, they lost by the same score to Chile, with a goal from Guillermo Subiabre.
At the 1934 World Cup in Italy, France was also eliminated in the first round, losing 3-2 in extra time to Austria, as the tournament format changed from the previous edition and was a direct knockout from the start. The Austrian goals were scored by Matthias Sindelar, Anton Schall, and Josef Bican, the last two in extra time, while Jean Nicolas and Georges Verriest scored for the French.
At the 1938 World Cup, which they hosted, France made it past the round of 16 but was eliminated in the quarter-finals in another tournament played with a pure knockout system. In the opening round, they defeated Belgium 3-1, with goals from Émile Veinante and Jean Nicolas (2), while Hendrik "Rik" Isemborghs scored for the "Red Devils." In the quarter-finals, they were eliminated by Italy—the defending champions and eventual winners—losing 3-1, with goals from Luigi Colaussi and Silvio Piola (2), while Oscar Heisserer temporarily equalized for "Les Bleus."
After being absent from the 1950 edition in Brazil, France returned to the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland but was eliminated, finishing third in Group 1 with 2 points, behind the Brazilian team (3 points) and Yugoslavia (3 points), and ahead of Mexico (0 points). In their debut, they lost 1-0 to the Balkan team, with a goal from Miloš Milutinović, and then beat Mexico 3-2, with goals from Jean Vincent, an own goal by Raúl Cárdenas, and a penalty from Raymond Kopa.
At the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, France had its best performance to that date, finishing third. They topped Group 2 with 4 points on goal difference ahead of Yugoslavia (+4 to +1), while Paraguay was third with 3 points and Scotland last with 1 point. In their debut, they crushed the "Guaraníes" 7-3, with goals from Just Fontaine (3), Roger Piantoni, Maryan Wisnieski, Raymond Kopa, and Jean Vincent, while Florencio Amarilla (2, one from a penalty) and Jorge Lino Romero scored for the South Americans. In the next match, they lost 3-2 to Yugoslavia, with goals from Aleksandar Petaković and Todor Veselinović (2) for the Balkans, and Fontaine (2) for the "Bleus." In the final group match, they beat Scotland 2-1, with goals from Kopa and Fontaine, while Sammy Baird scored for the British. In the quarter-finals, they thrashed Northern Ireland 4-0, with goals from Wisnieski, Fontaine (2), and Piantoni. In the semi-finals, they lost 5-2 to Brazil—who would go on to be champions—with goals from Vavá, Didí, and Pelé (3), while Fontaine and Piantoni scored for the Europeans. The French team then took third place by defeating West Germany 6-3, with four goals from Fontaine, one from a penalty by Kopa, and another from Yvon Douis, while Hans Cieslarczyk, Helmut Rahn, and Johann Schäfer scored for the Germans.
After another four years of absence, France returned to the 1966 World Cup in England but finished last in Group 1 with a single point, behind the host nation (5 points), Uruguay (4 points), and Mexico (2 points). In their debut, they drew 1-1 with the "Aztecas," with goals from Enrique Borja for the North Americans and Gérard Hausser for the "Bleus." In the second match, they lost 2-1 to Uruguay after taking the lead with a penalty from the Franco-Argentine Héctor de Bourgoing.
