Didier Deschamps seldom springs surprises, yet a few have defined his squads | OneFootball

Didier Deschamps will name his 2026 World Cup squad on Thursday night on TF1, and his lists have rarely shocked. The major late twists of his tenure have been the recalls of Karim Benzema before Euro 2021 and N’Golo Kanté before Euro 2024, as he prepares his seventh squad announcement.

According to L'Équipe, the benchmark for a shock pick remains Raymond Domenech calling up Pascal Chimbonda before the 2006 World Cup. Deschamps’ choices often leak, which helps shape opinion and defuse debates, notably around Hatem Ben Arfa before Euro 2016. Comparisons of surprise levels are best set against the official 20:00 TF1 announcement.

In 2014, before injuries to Steve Mandanda, Franck Ribéry and Clément Grenier prompted Stéphane Ruffier, Rémy Cabella and Morgan Schneiderlin to step in, Antoine Griezmann and Lucas Digne had already emerged that spring. The turnaround against Ukraine in the November 2013 play-off, from 0-2 to 3-0, hinted Samir Nasri and Éric Abidal would miss out.

For Euro 2016, Mathieu Valbuena and Benzema were omitted due to the sextape case, and Mamadou Sakho was suspended in a doping matter for which he was later cleared. Debate centred on Ben Arfa, brilliant with 17 Ligue 1 goals for Nice, yet his omission was not a shock.

In 2018 there were few big surprises, beyond Steven Nzonzi travelling instead of Adrien Rabiot, who wrote to refuse a standby role, and the absence of Alexandre Lacazette despite a brace in Germany six months earlier.

The boldest move of Deschamps’ reign was Benzema’s recall, after more than five years out, on the eve of Euro 2021, with debutant Jules Koundé also listed. Before the 2022 World Cup, injuries drove most late changes, and much of the initial picture was clear by autumn. By late May 2024, Kanté’s return was unforeseen, Saudi Arabia or not, while Bradley Barcola had never been capped but was increasingly discussed. As for Thursday night, the line between a true surprise and a left-field call can be thin.

Source: L'Équipe