That famous night in Moscow on 15 July 2018 was one rain, goals and pure emotion. With a 4-2 victory over Croatia in the final, France won their second FIFA World Cup™. Seven years on, with many top leagues resuming this weekend, FIFA looks at where the Russia 2018 champions are now.
Returning to action
Ligue 1 has the largest contingent of 2018 World Cup winners. Olivier Giroud is back home, having joined Lille following a spell at LAFC, which saw him compete at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™. Fans will also welcome the return of Paul Pogba (Monaco) and Florian Thauvin (Lens).
Paris Saint-Germain is the best-represented club, with Ousmane Dembele, Lucas Hernandez and one-club man Presnel Kimpembe, the only 2018 squad member never to have left Ligue 1. The list also features Corentin Tolisso, who has stayed loyal to Lyon since returning from Bayern Munich, and Djibril Sidibe, who is at Toulouse.
La Liga is home to three French champions: Antoine Griezmann, who remains a key figure for Atletico Madrid, Thomas Lemar, who is on loan at Girona, and Kylian Mbappé, who scored 44 goals in 59 games for Real Madrid.
Paris-born Alphonse Areola came through the ranks at PSG before a spell at Real. He has now been at West Ham for four seasons, winning the UEFA Conference League in 2023. This season, Areola could potentially cross paths in one of the cup competitions with Steven Nzonzi, who has just re-signed for Stoke City in the Championship.
Away from Europe, Nabil Fekir leads the front line for Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates. In his first season, he had 14 goal involvements in 28 matches in all competitions (nine goals and five assists).
Season yet to start
Some leagues are yet to kick off the new season, which will culminate in the FIFA World Cup 26™. One of these is Serie A, where Benjamin Pavard, whose memorable strike against Argentina won Goal of the Tournament, will once again don the colours of Inter Milan.
Another key figure in France’s second World Cup win, N’Golo Kante, has spent the past two years playing in defensive midfield for Al Ittihad, who helped secure the Saudi Arabian league-and-cup double under Laurent Blanc, Didier Deschamps’ predecessor as France coach.
Up and running
Hugo Lloris, France’s most-capped player with 145 appearances, recently saw team-mate Giroud leave LAFC following the Club World Cup, but the goalkeeper – recently handed the captain’s armband – will be remaining in California, much to the delight of his new team-mate Son Heung-min.
New challenges
Several 2018 World Cup winners have come to the end of their contract and are waiting to see where their careers will take them next. Among them is Steve Mandanda, the goalkeeper whose farewell during his last match for Rennes against Marseille touched fans around the world. Benjamin Mendy is another waiting to discover his fate, having terminated his contract with FC Zurich. Samuel Umtiti, who produced an unforgettable goal celebration against Belgium in the semi-finals, had his season at Lille cut short following knee surgery, but is hoping to bounce back quickly.
Boots hung up
Three members of Deschamps’ class of 2018 have retired: Blaise Matuidi, Adil Rami and Raphael Varane.
