Deschamps names France squad: Mateta the surprise inclusion | OneFootball

The coach of the France national team, Didier Deschamps, announced this Thursday (2) his squad list for the October FIFA international break, with striker Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace as the main new addition.

Mateta (28 years old), who has already represented the Bleus at youth levels and won a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, receives his first call-up to the senior national team, largely due to injuries to other forwards such as Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, and Marcus Thuram.

Deschamps stated that he chose the Palace player for “his profile and his ability to score goals.”

Important Returns

Meanwhile, Christopher Nkunku returns to the squad for the first time since November 2024, despite a quiet start to the season at Milan.

In midfield, to replace the suspended Aurélien Tchouameni, Deschamps has once again called up Eduardo Camavinga from Real Madrid, who missed the French squad’s September matches due to injury. Defender William Saliba from Arsenal has also returned to the list after recovering from physical problems that kept him out of the June and September call-ups.

Upcoming Fixtures

France will face Azerbaijan (October 10) and Iceland (October 13), in the European Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

France National Team Call-up

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.