World Cup Qualifiers 2026: Akliouche gets maiden France call-up, Ekitike, Kolo Muani miss out
AS Monaco midfielder Maghnes Akliouche received his maiden call-up by France for its World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland next week.
The 23-year-old was part of the French side that bagged the silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics under Thierry Henry.
In-form Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike, who scored three goals in his first two games for the defending Premier League champion, misses out from the list, as does Randal Kolo Muani, who is on his way out from Paris Saint-Germain.
Stars Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele are the main attacking options in Didier Deschamps’ squad, which also includes Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise and Manchester City’s Ryan Cherki.
William Saliba returns in defence after missing out on the National League finals with injury. Chelsea’s Malo Gusto and Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate also find a place.
France squad for World Cup qualifiers vs Iceland, Ukraine
Goalkeepers: Lucas Chevalier (Paris Saint-Germain), Mike Maignan (AC Milan/ITA), Brice Samba (Rennes)
Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa/ENG), Malo Gusto (Chelsea/ENG), Lucas Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain), Theo Hernandez (Al-Hilal/KSA), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool/ENG), Jules Kounde (Barcelona/ESP), William Saliba (Arsenal/ENG), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/GER)
Midfielders: Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain), Manu Kone (Roma/ITA), Adrien Rabiot (Marseille), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid/ESP), Khephren Thuram (Juventus/ITA)
Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City/ENG), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/ESP), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/GER), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan/ITA)
Published on Aug 27, 2025
