Coach – Didier Deschamps: The French World Cup-winning captain in 1998 fell agonisingly short of claiming another home glory as manager at Euro 2016 when his side lost to Portugal in extra-time in the final. He's been in charge since 2012 after impressing at Monaco, Juventus and Marseille.
Legend – Zinedine Zidane: Michel Platini just misses out to the mercurial Zizou, who starred in France 98 with two goals in the final win over Brazil. Zidane also helped France to win Euro 2000 as the three-time World Player of the Year oozed class on the pitch. He was just the fourth player to score in two World Cup finals when he notched against Italy in 2006, before the infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi that proved to be the last act of his incredible career - what a way to go out!
Star Man – Antoine Griezmann: The Atletico Madrid star banged in six goals to get France to the final of Euro 2016 and will be looking to emulate that form to fire them to World Cup glory. He scored twice in the Europa League final as he showcased his big-game impact. Paul Pogba has all the hype, headlines, haircuts and emojis, but make no mistake Griezmann is the main man for Les Bleus.
Did you know? Thanks to its overseas territories dotted around the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, as well as the South American continent. France spans twelve different time zones – which is more than any other nation.
Fun Fact: Although we see France as a footballing powerhouse, they take a while to warm up in tournaments and in World Cup group games they've managed just three wins in their last 12 group-stage outings.
Qualifying: They ran out easy Group A winners in European qualifying in the end, finishing four points clear of Sweden and losing just one of their ten games. A shock 0-0 draw at home to minnows Luxembourg was one of a couple of blips.
Group C fixtures: Australia (11am, June 16, Kazan), Peru (4pm, June 21, Ekaterinburg), Denmark (3pm, June 26, Moscow)
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Alphonse Areola (Paris Saint-Germain)
Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart), Adil Rami (Marseille), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)
Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus), Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich)
Forwards: Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Florian Thauvin (Marseille)
They are a fancied side to lift the World Cup in Russia. Loaded with talent, France have been able to leave out the likes of Karim Benzema, Anthony Martial and Alexandre Lacazette, while Dimitri Payet misses out through injury, and look a strong squad capable of challenging.