What usually follows when France start the World Cup with two wins | OneFootball

France have opened the 2026 World Cup with two wins, 3-1 against Senegal and 3-0 over Iraq. History shows such starts often set up deep runs, but they guarantee nothing.

According to L'Équipe, across 17 finals, Les Bleus began with two victories in 1998, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026. Those seasons yielded two titles and another final.

In 2014, France swept past Honduras 3-0 and Switzerland 5-2, then lost 1-0 to Germany in the quarter-finals. In 2022 they beat Australia 4-1 and Denmark 2-1, before Argentina edged the final after 3-3 and 2-4 on penalties.

In 1958, a 7-3 opener against Paraguay was followed by a 2-3 loss to Yugoslavia, yet France still reached the semi-finals, lost 2-5 to Brazil, then took third by beating West Germany 6-3. Teams in 1982 and 1986 also fell in the last four after sticky starts.

The great resurgence came in 2006 after group draws with Switzerland 0-0 and South Korea 1-1. Finishing second, France then ousted Spain 3-1, Brazil 1-0 and Portugal 1-0, before Italy won the final, 1-1 and 3-5 on penalties.

The clearest precedent for optimism is 1998, when 3-0 against South Africa and 4-0 over Saudi Arabia launched a home triumph. As manager, Didier Deschamps repeated the trick in 2018 with 2-1 against Australia and 1-0 over Peru. Quick starts help, they do not decide everything.

Source: L'Équipe