FIFA Ranking: 17 (Last Updated 05 Jun 2014)
History: France won the World Cup in 1998 when they blanked Brazil 3-0 in the final. In 2006, they came close in winning the title again but missed out to Italy on penalty shoot-outs. They have qualified for three semifinals in 1958, 1982 and 1986.
Qualifying report: Finished second in their group, behind leaders Spain by three points. They drew Ukraine in the play-offs and overturned a two-goal deficit winning their home tie 3-0.
Star Players: Paul Pogba is a dynamic young midfielder. He plays for Juventus (Italy) at club level. The former Manchester United starlet is a regular feature in Didier Deschamps` side. He has good attacking skills blended with crunch tackles and a great vision for goals and is just the type of player France needs.
Top Scorer during WC Qualification 2014: Franck Ribery (5)
Top scorer at the Cup: Just Fontaine (13)
Most World Cup caps: Fabian Barthez (17)
Team record at the Cup: M: 54, W: 25, D: 11, L: 18
Coach: Didier Deschamps, the ex-boss of Monaco, Juventus and Marseille became the coach of France in 2012. He extended his contract up till 2016. Under him France reached the quarterfinals of the Euro 2012 where they lost to Spain. Deschamps had led France to the 1998 World Cup victory as captain.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Mickael Landreau (Bastia)
Defenders: Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United), Lucas Digne (PSG) Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (Porto), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid)
Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (PSG), Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Rio Mavuba (Lille), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille), Remy Cabella (Montpellier), Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton)
Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad), Loïc Rémy (Newcastle)
Group listing: Group E - Switzerland, Honduras and Ecuador.
Fixtures:
June 15: France v Honduras, Porto Alegre
June 20: Switzerland v France, Salvador
June 25: Ecuador v France, Rio de Janeiro