France

Chinese foreign minister praises Paris for its 'strategic autonomy' and calls for 'bigger developments' in bilateral relations, which have been strained by ...

Supporters gather in central Paris to greet football team after World Cup final defeat against Argentina.

To view the next image, just swipe. Manager Didier Deschamps and team captain Hugo Lloris waved to the crowds from the balcony. The match was dominated by Argentina for the first 80 minutes before a quickfire double by Mbappe ignited France.

Supporters packed a square in central Paris on Monday to give a rousing welcome to the French football team despite their loss to Argentina in a nail-biting ...

"Football is often more than a sport. The match was dominated by Argentina for the first 80 minutes before a quickfire double by Mbappe ignited France. Mbappe went on to score a third goal, becoming only the second player in history to grab a hat-trick in a World Cup final. Supporters packed a square in central Paris on Monday to give a rousing welcome to the French football team despite their loss to Argentina in a nail-biting World Cup final. Goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris told TF1 that it was a chance to "greet them (the fans), to thank them for their support and, after yesterday's pain, to seek their consolation." "We wanted to see them (the fans) on our return from Doha because I think it's the least we can do to come and see them and thank them for their support," he added.

Fitness permitting, Kylian Mbappe will remain at the forefront of France's current football generation, the pain of defeat in Qatar informing his progress ...

He is sure to be even more driven to deliver success at club level with PSG. And consider this: Mbappe has played and scored in more World Cup matches than Pele did at a similar age. The question now is: How much further can he go? In a game that was billed by many as a clash between Mbappe and his PSG teammate Lionel Messi, the Argentinian was well ahead. That’s not to say his achievements to date are anything less than impressive. [No one has done more than Mbappe](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sport/mbappe-heroics-vain-justify-pele-comparisons-3153741) to keep France’s hopes of back-to-back World Cup titles alive.

Griezmann & Giroud out, Saliba & Camavinga in: How will France line up at the 2026 World Cup? · Mike Maignan France 2022 Getty Images · Pierre Kalulu AC Milan ...

GOAL has had a go at predicting France's line-up for the next global competition... But which of the current players will still be around when the World Cup circus descends on the United States, Mexico and Canada? The next target will be winning a first European Championship since 2000 in Germany in 18 months' time, but soon enough all eyes will be on the next World Cup and doing it all again in 2026.

France had a disaster for an hour of the World Cup final, but there are reasons to be positive despite defeat. Not least, they have Kylian Mbappe.

[Ousmane Dembele](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/229744/Ousmane-Dembélé), whose foul had given Argentina a penalty for the first goal, and striker [Olivier Giroud](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/88965/Olivier-Giroud), who didn't have much of the ball before coming off and looked frustrated. His eight goals in the tournament are one of the highest for a Golden Boot winner, while he is the only player in history to have scored four goals in World Cup finals and the second to net a hat trick in one -- after [Bracket](https://www.espn.com/soccer/bracket) Going into this game with a lot of ambition and confidence, they seemed surprised by how aggressive and well organised Argentina were. Maybe going forward, Mbappe should play up front as a second striker, where he is the best against the top teams, rather than on the left wing. It shouldn't have taken so long, but the desire, the belief, was back, and that's what the team have to remember going forward. [France](/soccer/team?id=478)'s players experienced the biggest roller coaster of emotions on Sunday against [Argentina](/soccer/team?id=202) and [Lionel Messi](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/45843/Lionel-Messi). There have been some defeats in qualifying campaigns or the Nations League, but not in the same way Argentina controlled things in the first half. But it seems the pressure of the final, the presence of the legendary Messi against them and the noisy support from the Argentine fans caused the team to lose their mojo and forget what had made them so good in Qatar. Aside from the second-string XI losing 1-0 to Tunisia in the final group game, France had been composed, ruthless and efficient throughout. Then finally down in a sea of sorrow and regret after the penalty shootout as Argentina lifted the trophy. Losing a World Cup final is always tough.

Paris (AP) -- Thousands of fans in central Paris cheered the arrival home of a France team that lost one of the greatest World Cup finals.

Thousands flock to Place de la Concorde in Paris to thank Qatar 2022 silver medalists - Anadolu Agency.

[Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. The team's greeting was televised. Some of the fans also lit flares to celebrate France's silver medal in the World Cup and lit up the square.

Karim Benzema has announced his retirement from international football following France's World Cup final defeat.

He is Madrid's second-top goalscorer of all-time with 329 goals, behind only [Belgium](/soccer/team/_/id/459) and [Spain](/football/team/_/id/164) in the semifinals and final to claim the trophy. I've written my story and ours comes to an end,"

In this file photo taken on September 7, 2021, France striker Karim Benzema applauds during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group D qualification football ...

[Qatar](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/qatar/) having not been selected when [France](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/france/) won the World Cup in Russia four years ago. I wrote my story and ours ends," [World Cup ](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/world-cup/)squad before their first match due to a left thigh injury.