France won the World Cup in 2018. They were in the final again in 2022. Stephen A. Smith apparently missed both.
During a recent segment on ESPN's First Take, Smith wondered aloud whether France could "finally get it done" at a World Cup. Which is a strange thing to say about a nation that lifted the trophy eight years ago, defeated Croatia 4-2 in the final, and introduced Kylian Mbappé to a global audience in the process.
It didn't stop there. In 2022, France went to the final again — that final, the one against Lionel Messi's Argentina, widely regarded as the greatest World Cup match ever played. They lost on penalties. Still, reaching back-to-back finals isn't a sign of a team struggling to find itself. That's a dynasty.
France doesn't need a redemption arc
Framing Les Bleus as a side waiting for their moment is the kind of take that gets you laughed out of a pub in Paris, Lyon, or anywhere south of Calais. Along with Argentina, France has been the most dominant international program of the past decade. There's no "finally" here. There's just: can they do it again?
The squad heading into 2026 makes that question genuinely interesting. Mbappé leads the line. Behind him: Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, William Saliba, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga. The average age of that core is still trending down, which is a problem for every other nation in the draw. France's odds to win the 2026 tournament reflect exactly that — they're not underdogs building toward something, they're favorites defending a legacy.
The real story heading into 2026 isn't whether France can finally win one. It's whether this generation can cement itself among the great international sides of any era — and whether Mbappé can put a second winner's medal next to the first.
As for Stephen A., this one earns a red card. Sometimes it's just better to let the football people talk about football.
