Striker who missed World Cup-winning chance dropped from France squad

France head coach Didier Deschamps on Thursday named his squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, with notable omissions including forward Randal Kolo Muani and midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.

Kolo Muani, who was a late addition to France’s squad at the previous World Cup in Qatar, had played a memorable role in Les Bleus’ run to the final. He scored in the semifinal win over Morocco and came agonisingly close to becoming France’s hero in the final against Argentina before the team eventually lost on penalties.

However, the Paris Saint-Germain forward, who spent the season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, struggled to make an impact in the Premier League, making his omission largely unsurprising.

Uncapped goalkeeper Robin Risser and Crystal Palace duo Maxence Lacroix and Jean-Philippe Mateta were among the surprises in Deschamps’ squad.

Risser earned his maiden senior call-up following an impressive campaign with Racing Lens, who are set to finish second in Ligue 1 and will also feature in the French Cup final later this month. The 21-year-old was recently named Ligue 1’s Best Goalkeeper.

His inclusion came at the expense of Lucas Chevalier, who had been expected to make the squad but missed out after losing his starting place at Paris Saint-Germain and being sidelined with injury since January.

Meanwhile, Mateta retained his place in the squad after earning three caps since making his debut last October. The striker was selected ahead of Kolo Muani to replace injured forward Hugo Ekitike, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon while playing for Liverpool F.C. against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League last month.

"He has a different profile to other strikers," said Deschamps of his choice.

Camavinga will be disappointed with omission
There was also speculation about whether Deschamps would stick with Eduardo Camavinga, after a disappointing season with Real Madrid, but the coach chose defender Lacroix, who made an impressive debut against Brazil in March.

"I would imagine it is a huge disappointment for him but he has had a tough season with injury as well," the coach said of Camavinga.

There were no other surprises in the 26-man squad, which has 10 players who featured in the last World Cup final in Qatar four years ago, while Lucas Hernandez, N'Golo Kante and Kylian Mbappe remain from the side that won in Moscow in 2018.

Captain Mbappe leads a formidable attack that also features Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele and rising star Michael Olise.

The squad was announced live on the main nightly news bulletin on France’s TF1 channel. France competes in Group I at the World Cup against Iraq, Norway and Senegal.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Robin Risser (Racing Lens), Brice Samba (Stade Rennais)

Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Lucas Hernandez (Paris St Germain), Theo Hernandez (Al Hilal), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)

Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Fenerbahce), Manu Kone (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris St Germain)

Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (Paris St Germain), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue (both Paris St Germain), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan).