World Cup Team Checks: France

World Cup Qualifiers

The French team's qualification was more grueling than glamorous. France started off as the favorite in Group 4. But the World Champions from 1998 made a bit of a rough job stumbling through the qualifiers. Only when the "retired" stars Zidane, Makelele and Thuram could be convinced to slip over their international jerseys again did things fall into place. With a 4:0 home victory against Cyprus, the French team's qualification was perfect.

Stars

Zinedine Zidane is the shining light of French soccer and has been elected World Player of the Year three times. In August 2004, he retired from the international team. But one year later, he returned to the field when the French team was threatening to fail the World Cup qualifiers. His elegant technique and brilliant play is supposed to now also lead the "Equipe Tricolore" to success at the World Cup in Germany. The cutting edge of the team will be provided by one of the world's best strikers, Thierry Henry.

Trainer

Trainer Raymond Domenech has high goals. He wants to win the second World Cup title after 1998. The coach took over the team after its disappointing performance at the European Cup in 2004, where the team got knocked out in the quarter-finals by later winners Greece. Domenech's job initially was to piece together a new team, as old hands like Bixente Lizarazu, Lilian Thuram, Claude Makelele and Zinedine Zidane had stepped down. The three latter players, though, soon returned to the team and helped "Les Bleus" get their World Cup ticket to Germany.

World Cup History

1930: Preliminary round, 1934: Round of 16, 1938: Quarter-finals, 1954: Preliminary round, 1958: Third place, 1966: Preliminary round, 1978: Preliminary round, 1982: Fourth place, 1986: Third place, 1998: World Champions, 2002: Preliminary round

Match Schedule: Preliminary Round

June 13, 2006: France -- Switzerland in Stuttgart

June 18, 2006: France -- South Korea in Leipzig

June 23, 2006: Togo -- France in Cologne

World Cup Base

France has chosen the Schlosshotel Münchhausen in Aerzen, Lower Saxony as its base. The team will be training in the Weserbergland stadium in Hameln.

Outlook

Following mixed performances in the World Cup qualifiers, the French want to present themselves once again as the "Grande Nation" in Germany. Coach Raymond Domenech's team is planning nothing less than getting the World Cup trophy into their showcase. But the World Champions of 1998 are not among the favorites this time.