France, founder members of FIFA, have competed in 11 FIFA World Cup finals. In 1998, Les Bleus ignited France with a fire when the team took Brazil apart in a sensational 3-0 FIFA World Cup final victory on home soil.

Earlier in 1938, France hosted FIFA World Cup but on that occasion they were less fortunate, going out in the quarter-final to eventual champions Italy. Twenty years later, in Sweden in 1958, Just Fontaine set a finals record with 13 goals, a record that remains unbroken to this day.

France is one of only two teams that have taken part in every qualifying competition of FIFA World Cup finals. They have gone on to play in 11 out of a possible 17 finals.

The key players are Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Claude Makelele and Sylvain Wiltord.