Sports Weekly all-media reporter Wang Qinbo
On the evening of May 13, Lens faced off with Paris Saint-Germain. This was a make-up match concerning the ownership of the French Ligue 1 championship. Paris Saint-Germain won without any suspense, defeating their opponents 2-0 away from home. The goals were scored by Kvaratzhelia and Mbaye, successfully winning the third league title after Luis Enrique was coached, and the 14th Ligue 1 title in team history.
Luis Enrique arranged an unusual formation, allowing three forwards, Dembele, Barcola, and Douai, who are French internationals, to appear together with Kvaratzhelia. The left and right sides of the defense are also French players, namely Lucas Hernandez and Mayulu.
Here, there must be injuries and rotation considerations. For example, Zaire Emery was injured in the midfield position, and then Vitinha and Marquinhos needed to rest. Berardo, who was originally able to play in the midfield, returned to the defense. In this way, the three midfielders are led by Neves, partnering with the young player DeRo who just joined in January, and the versatile Douai.
However, in fact, Enrique has players like Ramos, Mbaye, and Favian Ruiz at his disposal. He allowed three forwards who were French internationals to play together, and paired them with two full-backs who were local players. Perhaps it was because the French national team coaching staff would pay collective attention to this event. Although it is a high probability that the three forwards mentioned above and Lucas Hernandez will be selected for the World Cup roster, the international players still hope to leave enough impression points on the coaching staff.
TF1 TV station’s 20 o’clock news will announce the 26-man French team roster for the 2026 World Cup on the evening of May 14. From the outside, this moment is full of suspense. However, within Didier Deschamps and his coaching staff, this list has long been decided. It is a screening project that lasts for several months. Data, status, experience, locker room balance and on-field risks are all included in the same judgment system.
Since taking over the French team in 2012, Deschamps' working methods have basically remained unchanged. Deschamps will not announce a list of more than 50 players in advance like Ancelotti did. This is because his coaching staff will observe about 50 players in each competition cycle. In addition to the call-up on national team match days, they also use on-site inspections, telephone communications, video analysis, and internal discussions to constantly update their judgments. Some players will slowly stabilize their position, some will temporarily fall behind due to injury, form or competition, and some will come back into view later in the cycle. Luck is definitely a factor. In every major competition, important players will be absent due to injuries.
Deschamps' important principle in selecting players has always been experience. In the past six World Cup or European Cup rosters, no on-field player with no French team experience has directly entered the final roster. Deschamps will never simply bet on talent. If there are players who call before the World Cup, He stood out with a huge voice, but because he lacked previous experience in participating in national team training, Deschamps will definitely not call him up. From this perspective, although Mayulu has performed well in Paris Saint-Germain for one consecutive year, he has not yet become the protagonist of the team. It is difficult for him to expect to participate in this World Cup.
The reason is that in Deshang's understanding, the competition is not just a confrontation at the technical and tactical level, but also a test of long-term closed collective life. The World Cup lasts from June 11 to July 19. During this period, players have to train together, play games, and then rest for several weeks. At the same time, they have to accept changes in roles and emotional ups and downs. Among them, some people will become the main players, while others can only serve as substitutes, and even rarely get a chance to play. Deschamps must be extremely convinced that the selected personnel have the ability to experience such a collective life. He does not reject players with individuality. However, he has a bottom line: no individual can be superior to the collective, and team life must be absolutely respected.
The French national team coaching staff has quite a few members, but the final decision-making circle only has four people, namely Deschamps, assistant coach Guy Stéphane, goalkeeper coach Frank Lavio, and fitness coach Cyril Moine. As usual, they will meet behind closed doors in Paris, usually at a hotel near the French Football Federation, the day before the official announcement. The meeting held on May 13 this year was the final confirmation link.
Deschamps has long said that there are 22 to 23 players who have been relatively stable for a long time. The real suspense belongs to the last few spots. The comparison here is quite subtle: who is a more versatile player, who is in better condition, who is more suitable to complement the core of the locker room, who can accept the role of a substitute, and who has a more reliable attitude in previous training camps. Deschamps has always respected the opinions of his assistants: Stefan gave a comprehensive assessment of the entire year's competition, Moine provided physical data and status indicators, and Ravio focused on determining the goalkeeper's emotional endurance and personal development trajectory.
In the end, injuries are still the most critical variable. Therefore, on the evening of May 13, the coaching team will all focus on Lens’ make-up match against Paris Saint-Germain. This is because this game may involve many French internationals from Paris, including the three forwards mentioned earlier, including Lens forward Florian Thauvin. However, it should be noted that Thauvin did not start the game in this game. Although he has been qualified for the French team many times in this World Cup cycle, his position is extremely marginalized. In the current background of the French team's forward talents, Thauvin is only on the B list. Only when the team suffers major injuries will he have the possibility of being considered.
Above the goalkeeper position, Lucas Chevalier belongs to a title that is quickly forgotten. A year ago, this young goalkeeper was regarded as the main contender for the French team in the future, and he was almost certain to rely on his main position in Paris to enter the French World Cup roster. However, now he has been completely marginalized whether in the French team or in Paris.
Today, Deschamps is on the list. At the moment, the top two goalkeepers are not controversial to a large extent. Maignan is in a stable state and firmly occupies the main position. Samba initially suffered a huge blow from Lucas Chevalier. However, since Habib Beye left Rennes in February 2026, he has once again found his best form and is a trustworthy second goalkeeper. On the contrary, Chevalier has been out of position in Paris since January. A muscle injury that occurred in training at the end of April caused him to continue to miss the Paris game squad, and his hopes of participating in the World Cup were basically dashed. Therefore, in the third goalkeeper position, West Ham's substitute goalkeeper Areola once again came into view. With rich experience, a low-key personality, and a strong sense of teamwork, he played the ideal third goalkeeper role during the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Rise, the goalkeeper of Lens, also has a certain hope of being included in the selection. He has never been included in the ranks of the adult national team. However, from the U16 to the France U21 stage, he has always been a frequent visitor to the youth national team. Previously, when the French team gathered to participate in training camps, he was even temporarily called up to participate in the training organized by Deschamps. Training sessions, especially when cooperating with the team's offensive drills, however, in the ongoing competition between Lens and Paris, Rise's performance was completely covered by the Paris team's goalkeeper Safonov. The latter relied on his excellent performance to ensure that the Paris team achieved a clean sheet, thus gaining the runner-up position and winning the championship.