At the secluded Clairefontaine training centre south-west of Paris, the French national team is completing its final preparations before crossing the Atlantic for the World Cup in the United States. Captain Kylian Mbappé leads a 26-man squad that blends world champions, Champions League regulars, and a new generation eager to write its own chapter in French football history.

The mood in camp lifted further when President Emmanuel Macron and his wife visited the squad, offering encouragement and a reminder of the expectations of a football-obsessed nation. The presidential stopover underlined how closely France will be watching Les Bleus as they chase a third world title.

The group is now at full strength. One Arsenal player and five from Paris Saint-Germain joined up after their Champions League commitments, giving head coach Didier Deschamps the complete squad he had envisioned. Training sessions have intensified, with tactical drills, set-piece rehearsals, and behind-closed-doors practice matches sharpening competition for starting places.

Before boarding the flight to Boston, France will test itself in two high-profile friendlies. First comes Ivory Coast in Nantes, a fixture expected to mirror the physicality and pace of African opposition. Then Ireland in Lille, a match likely to offer a more direct, combative style that Deschamps believes will be useful preparation for the group stage.

France has been drawn in Group I, alongside Senegal, Iraq, and Norway. On paper, Les Bleus are favourites, but the staff has been careful to stress the dangers of underestimating any opponent. Senegal, their first rival in Rutherford, New Jersey, is seen as the most formidable, with a core of Europe-based players and a reputation for upsetting traditional powers.

The journey to the United States will inevitably revive memories of recent World Cups. Mbappé and several team-mates were central to France’s second world crown in 2018, a triumph that seemed to herald a long era of dominance. Yet the dramatic penalty shoot-out defeat to Argentina in the 2022 final still lingers, serving as both a wound and a source of motivation.

At Clairefontaine, the message from Deschamps is clear: past glories and heartbreaks are reference points, not destinations. The real work, he insists, begins when the plane touches down in America.