2026 W/Cup: Camavinga Misses Out On France Squad

Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and Paris Saint‑Germain goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier were omitted from France’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, according to ESPN.

France, which is aiming for a third World Cup title, is among the favorites for the tournament that will run from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Camavinga, who was part of the France team that finished as runners‑up in the previous World Cup and appeared as a substitute in the final defeat to Argentina, was left out of the squad announced Thursday by coach Didier Deschamps.

“He had a difficult season for him where he played less. He also had injuries,” Deschamps said. “It’s true that he’s a player who came very early with us. He is still a young player.”

“Because I have choices to make the squad structure also has to be even among the defenders, the midfielders and the forwards. But I understand and I imagine his enormous disappointment this evening.”

Chevalier was another notable omission after losing his starting role at PSG to Matvei Safonov and has not appeared in a match since the end of January.

“The main criteria is sporting performance,” Deschamps explained. “I understand that Lucas Chevalier may be disappointed, but he hasn’t played for several months anymore. At the time when he could have had some playing time, he didn’t get any.”

Deschamps rewarded goalkeeper Robin Risser with a call‑up for the tournament following his breakthrough season.

Risser, who plays for Lens, has been one of the league’s standout performers this season and was named best goalkeeper earlier this week. He helped make Lens the second‑best defence in Ligue 1 and was selected by Deschamps as the third‑choice keeper behind Mike Maignan and Brice Samba.

James Agberebi

James is a sport content creator and also does analysis on sports. Also, James has covered international matches involving both Nigeria’s men and women national teams. Facebook : James Agberebi