Women’s World Cup 2023: Everything you need to know about France

France′s World Cup 2023 fixtures, betting odds and statistics

You can read all about Jamaica, Brazil and Panama by clicking on their names here.

How did France qualify?

France qualified by topping UEFA Group I. Les Bleues won ten out of ten, beating Wales, Slovenia, Greece, Estonia and Kazakhstan home and away.

France’s major tournament record:

World Cup

Best World Cup result: Semi-finals- 2011.

European Championships

Best Euros result: Semi-finals- 2022.

Olympic Games

Best Olympics result: Fourth-place- 2012.

France at World Cup 2023

Will this be the summer France reach a first-ever major final?

Back in 2011, les Bleues enjoyed their best-ever run at a World Cup, eventually dumped out by USA in the semi-finals.

Four years ago, given that they were hosting the tournament, France went into the 2019 edition with sky-high expectations.

They won all three group games, dumped out Brazil after extra time but, once again, found the United States too strong, beaten 2-1 by the eventually champions in the last eight at Parc des Princes.

Nevertheless, les Bleues’ general upwards trajectory did continue last summer, reaching the semi-finals of the European Championships for the first time ever.

France topped their group unbeaten, ousted holders Netherlands in the quarter-finals but were beaten 2-1 by Germany at Stadium MK.

In the subsequent 12 months however, all hell has broken loose.

Manager Corinne Diacre was already very unpopular, with a handful of France’s most high-profile players refusing to be called up while she was in charge.

However, Diacre’s position became untenable earlier this year and she was finally sacked in March, much to the relief of all French players and fans.

There’s so much to this story but, to summarise, her management style had been described as like a ‘dictatorship’.

The new figure in charge is the unmistakable figure that is Hervé Renard, who knows a thing or two about winning international tournaments.

On the men’s side, he has guided both Zambia and Côte d’Ivoire to Africa Cup of Nations glory, subsequently leading Morocco and Saudi Arabia at the last two men’s World Cups.

This’ll be the 54 year old’s first job in women’s football but, taking over an ultra-talented group of players, following on from Diacre’s reign or terror, is surely perfect circumstances.

France’s campaign begins against Jamaica in Sydney, before facing Brazil in Brisbane and then Panama back at Sydney Football Stadium.

Their clash with the Copa América winners on 29 July is one of the most eye-catching fixtures in any group, and could be important in determining who tops Group F.

The runners-up in this section will likely face Germany in the round of 16, a fate France would rather like to avoid.

Very few squads at this tournament boast as much talent as France, so can Renard get this team to click and lead them to glory?

France team news

Star strikers Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Delphine Cascarino have both missed out due to injury.

On 7 July, less than a fortnight before the tournament, veteran midfielder Amandine Henry sustained a calf injury in training, ruling her out of the World Cup.

Defender Griedge Mbock Bathy is also sidelined, while Kheira Hamraoui and Ouleymata Sarr were not called up.

France′s key players: Wendie Renard

Wendie Renard’s international future was in serious doubt before Diacre’s dismissal, but she is her and will lead out her country against Jamaica on 23 July.

Renard is one of the most decorated women’s footballers of all-time, currently with 144 caps to her name, scoring 32 goals, which isn’t bad for a centre-back.

Amazingly, only Ellen White, Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and Sam Kerr scored more goals than her at the most-recent World Cup, bagging four, including two in the tournament’s opener against Korea Republic.

She’s started 33 of France’s last 34 major tournament matches, with the Euro 2017 quarter-final defeat the only one she’s sat out in 12 years, with that streak set to continue.

At club level, Renard has spent her entire 17-year senior career with Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and, given how successful she’s been, you can’t blame here.

To date, the 33 year old has 15 Division 1 titles, the Coupe de France on nine occasions and the Champions League eight times, scoring in the final win of 2011, most-recently lifting the European Cup in 2022.

Renard is one of the very best centre-backs in the world, and will remain a rock at the back for les Bleues.

France′s key players: Grace Geyoro

A little peak behind the curtain for you reader, this section was about Amandine Henry, but has been hastily edited after the 33 midfielder tragically suffered a calf injury less than two weeks before the tournament.

Instead, you’re reading about Grace Geyoro who, in fairness to here, absolutely deserves to be labelled as a key player in this team, and will be a star if France make any sort of progress at this competition.

At 26, Geyoro already has 65 international caps to her name, taking her tally to 15 goals by netting against Canada earlier this year.

Last summer, she captured all the headlines by bagging a first half hat-trick as les Bleues demolished Italy 5-1 at the Euros.

This makes her just the second Frenchwomen, after Angélique Roujas (1997 vs Russia), to score a hat-trick at a major tournament.

Geyoro has spent her entire career with Paris Saint-Germain, joining les Rouge-et-Bleu as a 15 year old before making her debut two years later.

With PSG she’s won a Division 1 title and two Coupe de Frances, scoring eight times in 35 appearances.

Her pass completion and progressive carries stats rank incredibly highly, showing that not only can Geyoro contribute with goals, arriving late in the box, but will be key as France look to build from the back and move up the field.

France′s key players: Eugénie Le Sommer

Henry’s striker partner could be Eugénie Le Sommer, another Lyon players who’s won 26 major honours with the juggernauts.

Le Sommer broke the deadlock in the 2020 Champions League Final victory over Wolfsburg, having previously netted in the finals of 2012 and 2018.

The 34 year old is France’s record goal-scorer of all-time, breaking Marinette Pichon’s record back in 2020, before her hiatus from the national team set-up.

When she returned back in April, Le Sommer scored twice against Colombia, reaffirming what she is capable of.

Given that fellow-strikers Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Delphine Cascarino are both injured, she’s guaranteed to be the starting number nine.

Now, she’ll be looking to score at a third different World Cup, with the return of Le Sommer and Henry massively increasing les Bleues’ chances of making a deep run.

France′s possible starting line-up for World Cup 2023

France′s full squad for World Cup 2023

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Forwards

FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Group F table