France coach Didier Deschamps has named his squad for the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with Monaco winger Maghnes Akliouche earning a first senior call-up while in-form Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike misses out.
Ekitike, 23, has impressed since his summer move from Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring three goals in his first three competitive matches for Liverpool.
He also netted five times for France’s Under-21s last season, However, with fierce competition in attack, the forward will have to wait for his senior debut.
World Cup winners in 2018 and runners-up in 2022, France begin their qualifying campaign away to Ukraine in Poland on Friday, September 5, before hosting Iceland in Paris on Tuesday, September 9.
Group D also includes Azerbaijan, with the winners qualifying automatically for the finals in North America.
Akliouche breakthrough
Akliouche, also 23, has been rewarded for his form with AS Monaco, where his performances have drawn interest from top clubs across Europe, he was part of Thierry Henry’s Olympic side that won silver in Paris last year.
Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki, who debuted for the senior side in June after leaving Lyon, is also included.
Elsewhere, Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot retains his place despite being sidelined at club level following a dressing-room altercation earlier this month.
France squad for September qualifiers
Goalkeepers: Lucas Chevalier (Paris Saint-Germain), Mike Maignan (AC Milan/ITA), Brice Samba (Rennes).
Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa/ENG), Malo Gusto (Chelsea/ENG), Lucas Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain), Theo Hernandez (Al-Hilal/KSA), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool/ENG), Jules Kounde (Barcelona/ESP), William Saliba (Arsenal/ENG), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/GER).
Midfielders: Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain), Manu Kone (Roma/ITA), Adrien Rabiot (Marseille), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid/ESP), Khephren Thuram (Juventus/ITA)
Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City/ENG), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/ESP), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/GER), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan/ITA).