This Friday, France make their debut against Ukraine in the European World Cup qualifiers, aiming to secure a spot in next year’s tournament, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Ousmane Dembele will not be in the starting eleven.
Minutes before kickoff, France confirmed their XI for the match in Ukraine, and Dembele was not included. Head coach Didier Deschamps decided to leave him on the bench, opting instead for a four-man attack featuring Desire Doue, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola, and Kylian Mbappe.
Ousmane arrived at the international break in excellent form with Paris Saint-Germain. He played all three Ligue 1 matches at the start of the season—starting in two of them—and contributed to his team’s victories with two goals and one assist.
However, things are different with the France national team. Deschamps has a deep pool of attacking options, and this time he opted to start three talented players—Barcola, Doue, and Olise—rotating through the creative roles behind the most advanced forward, Mbappe.
Lineups for Ukraine and France
Given the quality of their players and the strong collective play they’ve developed in recent years, France are clear favorites to win on Friday—even while playing away at the Tarczyński Arena.
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Didier Deschamps selected this XI for France: Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, Ibrahima Konate, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne; Aurelien Tchouameni, Manu Kone; Desire Doue, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola; Kylian Mbappe.
For Ukraine, the task will be much more challenging. They’ll aim to neutralize France’s strengths and secure at least one point—something that could prove critical in their push for World Cup qualification. Head coach Sergiy Rebrov chose this lineup: Anatoliy Trubin; Oleksandr Zinchenko, Mykola Matvienko, Ilya Zabarnyi, Yukhym Konoplya; Oleksiy Gutsulyak, Ivan Kalyuzhnyi, Georgiy Sudakov, Yegor Yarmolyuk; Oleksandr Zubkov, Artem Dovbyk.
France begin their path in the World Cup qualifiers
France are part of Group D in the World Cup qualifiers. Unlike some other European teams, they had yet to play a match in the tournament—so Friday’s clash with Ukraine marks their official debut. At the same time, the group’s other two teams, Iceland and Azerbaijan, will also be facing off.
Matchday 2 will see France play at home for the first time. They will host Iceland on Tuesday, September 9, at the Parc des Princes in Paris, while Ukraine will be on the road against Azerbaijan that same day.
