World Cup-bound France target unbeaten campaign against Azerbaijan | OneFootball

France travel to Baku on Sunday for their final World Cup qualifier knowing their place at the 2026 tournament is already secured.

They sealed qualification with a dominant victory over Ukraine on Thursday and arrive in Azerbaijan with the intention of completing an unbeaten campaign.

Azerbaijan enter the contest at the opposite end of the spectrum after a qualifying run that has offered little encouragement.

Their defeat to Iceland in midweek ended the faint mathematical hope of earning a play-off place and extended a sequence of 14 matches without a win.

Azerbaijan’s last victory was in June 2024 against Kazakhstan, and every indicator suggests they face another difficult evening against one of Europe’s most stable national teams.

The hosts have struggled in attack. Their failure to score against Iceland was the third time in the group that they have drawn a blank.

The defensive issues have been equally damaging. They were beaten 3-0 in Paris in the reverse fixture and the gap in quality between the sides remains sizeable a year later.

Aykhan Abbasov’s squad will attempt to produce a compact structure and slow the tempo, but their recent record gives little evidence that they can sustain resistance over 90 minutes.

France head coach Didier Deschamps has spoken repeatedly about the value of rhythm, and the commanding display against Ukraine reinforced his argument that performance levels matter.

Kylian Mbappe’s brace on Thursday underlined his influence and moved him closer to Olivier Giroud’s all-time scoring record.

The wider squad also contributed with enough fluidity to suggest that France intend to close the group with the same authority that has defined the entire campaign.

There will also be interest in the continuity of Deschamps’s selections after the return of N’Golo Kante, whose form in Saudi Arabia has pushed him back into contention ahead of next summer.

The midfield balance remains a focal point for France, and the trip to Baku offers another opportunity to shape combinations before preparations shift towards the tournament itself.

France should expect to manage the contest with minimal disruption, yet the possibility of complacency is the only variable that could encourage Azerbaijan.

Deschamps’s side has shown throughout the group that they rarely allow such moments to derail them, and another controlled display would complete an untroubled qualifying journey.