Kylian Mbappe, who has only just returned to action after a knee injury, will lead the France squad into friendly matches this month against Brazil and Colombia in the United States.
Coach Didier Deschamps on Thursday included the Real Madrid superstar in his squad for the games, after Mbappe appeared off the bench for his club in the Champions League win against Manchester City earlier this week.
The France captain had missed his club’s previous five matches, but is likely to lead the line for his country against Brazil in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on March 26 and Colombia, near Washington DC, three days later.
Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki are among the other attacking players included by Deschamps, while goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier makes the squad despite losing his place at Paris Saint-Germain.
The friendly matches are the last before Deschamps names his squad for the World Cup on May 13.
“Statistically, there will be many on this list in May, although we shouldn’t draw too many hasty conclusions,” said Deschamps.
Former Lille player Chevalier, 24, could have legitimately felt threatened given his struggles at PSG where he was relegated to the bench in favour of Russian Matvey Safonov after several worrying performances.
“It has happened to me often, with important players who might be experiencing temporary difficulties at their clubs, to offer them a helping hand,” explained Deschamps.
“It’s part of building trust. This situation isn’t ideal for him but he hasn’t lost his value in four months.”
Les Bleus are in Group I at the tournament with Senegal, Norway and a play-off winner whose identity will be determined this month.
“The protocol was respected. I was in regular contact with Kylian,” continued Deschamps.
“There was no obligation for him to be present but from his side, it was clear he wanted to be there with us as a player.”
The absence of Bradley Barcola, sidelined for several weeks with a sprained ankle, benefits Randal Kolo Muani, who scored for Tottenham on Wednesday in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid, but has not played for France since the Nations League semi-final against Germany (2-0) on June 8, 2025.
“Kolo Muani has been absent due to a long-term injury,” said Deschamps.
“He’s been with us for a while now, because of what he’s done and his qualities.
“He’s not in the best period of his career but I’m sticking to my plan. That doesn’t mean he’ll stay in the squad, but he has a positive history with us.”
France squad
Goalkeepers: Lucas Chevalier (Paris Saint-Germain), Mike Maignan (AC Milan/ITA), Brice Samba (Rennes)
Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa/ENG), Malo Gusto (Chelsea/ENG), Lucas Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain), Theo Hernandez (Al Hilal/KSA), Pierre Kalulu (Juventus/ITA), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool/ENG), William Saliba (Arsenal/ENG)
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid/ESP), N’Golo Kante (Fenerbahce/TUR), Manu Kone (Roma/ITA), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan/ITA), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid/ESP), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City/ENG), Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue (both Paris Saint-Germain), Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool/ENG), Randal Kolo Muani (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/ESP), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/GER), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan/ITA)
kn-as/bsp
