France head coach Didier Deschamps has omitted Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier from the preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup. The tournament will be held from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with France aiming for a third title. Camavinga, who featured as a substitute in the 2022 World Cup final loss to Argentina, did not make the cut this time. Deschamps cited limited playing time and recurring injuries during the season as key reasons for the exclusion. "He had a difficult season for him where he played less. He also had injuries," Deschamps said. "He is still a young player. I understand and I imagine his enormous disappointment this evening."
Chevalier also missed out after losing his starting position at PSG to Matvei Safonov and failing to feature in any match since the end of January. Deschamps emphasized that performance levels were central to selection. "The main criteria is sporting performance," he stated. "I understand that Lucas Chevalier may be disappointed, but he hasn't played for several months anymore." In contrast, Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser earned his first major call-up following a standout season. Risser, recognized as Ligue 1's best goalkeeper this week, helped Lens record the league's second-best defense. He has been named as the third-choice goalkeeper behind Mike Maignan and Brice Samba.
The squad structure was balanced across positions, Deschamps noted, with deliberate choices made to maintain equilibrium between defenders, midfielders, and forwards.
Camavinga's omission is notable given his prior World Cup final appearance, yet Deschamps selected form over familiarity. This decision reinforces that current match fitness and consistent performance carry more weight than past involvement. No Nigerian or African player featured in the squad announcement.
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