A guide to France's U-20s ahead of World Cup opener
France's U-20s will get their U-20 World Cup campaign underway in Chile on Monday night. Here is everything you need to know about Bernard Diomede's Bleuets.
Absentees but a strong squad
France and Ligue 1 McDonald's is a petri-dish of elite-level talent. Without exception, clubs in France's top-flight provide pathways for their young players, with some already playing important roles. It explains why the likes of Marseille's Daryl Bakola and PSG's Quentin Ndajntou have been retained by their respective clubs and will therefore not join up with the France U-20 side in South America. Monaco's Bradel Kiwa is another set to miss out on the tournament. "Sometimes, clubs couldn't free their players when they had agreed because of injuries in their teams. Everything was done with a good understanding," said Diomede.
However, Diomede's squad is stocked with plenty of talent. Chief among those talents is Djylian N'Guessan, the Saint-รtienne forward, who made his Ligue 1 McDonald's debut last season at the age of 16 years and 127 days.
Still just 17, he is the youngest player in this France U-20 squad and their biggest attacking prospect in this upcoming competition. A rapid forward with a good finish, he has been consistently bumped up the age groups; it was only last summer that he was competing for the U-17s at the Euros. He will be looking to confirm his potential in Chile over the coming weeks.
Then there is Noham Kamara, a centre-back on the verge of a breakthrough at formative club PSG. Having made his Ligue 1 McDonald's debut last season, and accompanied the first team during the Club World Cup in the USA over the summer, he is now in the rotation at PSG, but will now look to enhance his reputation further with Les Bleuets.
That is not forgetting Strasbourg's Rabby Nzingoula, who excelled on loan at Montpellier last season, despite their relegation to Ligue 2, or former Monaco midfielder Mayssam Benama, who, having captained the Groupe รlite, joined Annecy earlier this year. Wherever you look in this team, there is talent.
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Dรฉcouvrez le programme des 3 matchs de poule ๐โฌ๏ธ
Compรฉtition ร suivre sur @lachainelequipe ๐ฅ๏ธ pic.twitter.com/6ZBa8Gxiomโ FFF (@FFF) September 29, 2025
Diomede's men will look to follow in the footsteps of the 2013 side, the only France team to have won the U-20 World Cup. It is a team that is full of household names. Alphonse Areola, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Digne, Paul Pogba, Jordan Veretout, and Florian Thauvin have all gone on to have glistening international careers, having shone in this tournament, with three going on to become World Champions just five years later.
To get through to the knockouts, France will have to secure results against South Africa, the USA, and New Caledonia, all of whom they will face in the group stage. "Everyone is devoted to representing their country," said Diomede, who leads the France U-20 side in what is his second World Cup, tonight against South Africa.
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