A new Academy graduate has been selected to compete in the biggest competition of all. Two years after participating in the Olympics with the French Olympic team, Magnhes Akliouche will experience a second major international tournament: the 2026 World Cup! Indeed, Didier Deschamps has revealed the identity of the 26 players who will represent France at the World Cup this summer, and the Academy graduate is among them, following a notable 2025-2026 season with AS Monaco, where he tallied seven goals and 11 assists in all competitions.
France and AS Monaco: a special history 🇲🇫 🇲🇨
Maghnes Akliouche is the 20th French player under contract with the Principality to participate in a World Cup. Will he become the sixth player trained at the Academy to be crowned world champion after Thierry Henry, Emmanuel Petit, Lilian Thuram, and David Trezeguet in 1998, and Kylian Mbappé in 2018? In any case, he is already one of the 20 players who came through the Monaco youth system to have worn the French national team jersey.
A reunion with Lamine Camara is on the cards 🤝
And while Les Bleus are among the favorites alongside other major nations, Didier Deschamps' men will have to be on their toes right from the group stage. Indeed, for their opening match in the competition, the French will face Lamine Camara's Senegal, winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations just a few months ago.
Next, they will face Iraq before concluding the group stage against Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard's Norway. Good luck, Maghnes! 🇫🇷
