France
Pedigree France is the reigning champion and, for all the romance attached to Brazil and Argentina, the presumptive favorite. No team has retained the World Cup since 1962, but the sheer depth of talent available to Didier Deschamps gives France every reason to believe it can end that run.
The Missing Deschamps has called up 11 of the players who won the World Cup in Russia, but not Paul Pogba or N’Golo Kanté, both of whom have been ruled out by injury. That leaves Deschamps with the unwanted challenge of crafting a whole new midfield on the fly.
Key Question So rich are France’s playing resources that it has long seemed like the country could send two squads (at least) to the World Cup, and both would rank among the favorites. Pogba and Kanté absences provide a chance to see if that theory can survive contact with reality.
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