Coach Didier Deschamps has caused a few surprises with his first national team squad selection for 2025/26. Former Frankfurt player Hugo Ekitiké will have to wait a little longer for his debut.
The new season has barely begun, and already the first international break is upon us. In the qualifiers, European national teams are battling it out for a place at the upcoming World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States in the summer of 2026. France, ranked third in the world, will also be in action on September 5 and 9.
For the matches in Rennes against Ukraine and four days later at the Parc des Princes against Iceland, national coach Didier Deschamps announced his 23-man squad for the first qualifying games on Wednesday – and had several surprises up his sleeve.
Deschamps: “Everything will be sorted out.”
For example, Adrien Rabiot is back in the squad. After a physical altercation with his teammate Jonathan Rowe, which Roberto de Zerbi, his coach at Olympique Marseille, subsequently described as scenes from a pub brawl, the 53-time international was suspended from OM. He no longer has a future in the south of France, but things look different in the Equipe Tricolore jersey. Deschamps continues to place his trust in the 30-year-old and has called him up to the squad once again.
“I have spoken to Adrien several times, but I don’t want to go into detail,” said Deschamps, explaining Rabiot’s call-up, and continued: “The only thing that matters—and he knows that—is that when he arrives on Monday, everything will be sorted out and his situation will be clear.”
Akliouche instead of Ekitiké
The national coach also surprised everyone with another personnel decision. Maghnes Akliouche, who has been linked with Bayer Leverkusen several times this summer, can now look forward to making his debut for France. The 23-year-old has been called up to Les Bleus for the first time – much to the chagrin of Hugo Ekitiké.
The former Frankfurt player, who was involved in four goals in his first three games for his new club Liverpool FC, will have to wait a little longer for his debut in the senior national team. Former Stuttgart and Munich player Benjamin Pavard, who was part of the Nations League squad in June, is also missing.
As expected, Bayern’s Dayot Upamecano – along with William Saliba and Jules Koundé – will return to the national team in September. The center back missed the Nations League Final Four tournament due to injury. With his teammate Michael Olise, there is a second Bundesliga player in Deschamps’ squad.
