Les Bleus are among the favourites to lift the trophy in Qatar, but who do they have to beat?
France are the defending champions at the 2022 World Cup and emerged from their group to take their place in the knockout stage of the competition in Qatar.
Didier Deschamps’ side defeated Australia and Denmark on their way to the last 16, but tougher challenges now lie ahead, with no room for error on the road to the final.
So, what will France need to do to retain their crown and win the World Cup for the third time in their history? GOAL takes a look at Les Bleus’ route to the final.
PosTeamPWDLGDPts1France3201+362Australia3201-163Tunisia3111044Denmark3012-21
France topped Group D with six points, finishing ahead of Australia, Tunisia and Denmark. The reigning champions won their opening match 4-1 against Australia, before defeating Denmark 2-1. They lost their final group game 1-0 to Tunisia, but advanced as the top team nonetheless.
Poland will be France’s opponents in the last 16 of the 2022 World Cup. Robert Lewandowski and Co. finished second to Argentina in Group C.
The game will be played on Sunday December 4, 2022 and kick off at 3pm GMT (10am ET).
A quarter-final against England or Senegal will be the reward for France if they navigate past Poland in the round of 16.
That particular quarter-final fixture is scheduled for December 10, 2022 with a 7pm GMT (2pm ET) kick-off.
If France reach the semi-final, they will play one of Morocco, Spain, Portugal or Switzerland.
The date for that semi-final is December 14, 2022 and it will kick off at 7pm GMT (2pm ET).
In the event France reach the 2022 World Cup final, they will be paired with a team from the other side of the knockout bracket. Among those on that side are: Argentina, Netherlands, Japan, Croatia, Brazil and South Korea.
The World Cup final will be played on December 18, 2022. The game kicks off at 3pm GMT (10am ET).
Here are France’s fixtures on the route to the 2022 World Cup final at a glance.
RoundOpponentDateKick-off timeLast 16PolandDec 43pm GMT / 10am ETQuarter-finalEngland / SenegalDec 107pm GMT / 2pm ETSemi-finalMorocco/Spain/Portugal/SwitzerlandDec 147pm GMT / 2pm ETFinalNetherlands/Argentina/Croatia/Japan/Brazil/South KoreaDec 183pm GMT / 10am ET
BBC and ITV have the broadcast rights for the World Cup in the United Kingdom while FOX and Telemundo are broadcasting games live on TV in the United States.
You can check GOAL‘s Soccer on U.S. TV listings here and the Football on UK TV listings here.
How far do you think France will go in the World Cup? Let us know in the comments! ?
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