Didier Deschamps will not grant Karim Benzema’s wish to participate with the French national team in the 2026 World Cup, and it’s likely that Kylian Mbappé is the reason.
The Al-Ittihad star had confirmed in an interview with L’Équipe that he hoped to participate in the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, despite his previous announcement of international retirement.
Benzema said in this regard, “Everyone wants to participate in this tournament… If I said I would refuse, I’d be lying. I’m a footballer.”
According to RMC Sports, the matter of Benzema’s return to the French national team has not yet been discussed between Deschamps and officials of the French Football Federation.
As of now, Benzema’s return is not on the table, but Deschamps won’t publicly declare that the Real Madrid legend is out of the question. He doesn’t want to preempt events, especially since history is full of examples of players who were thought by everyone to be gone forever, only to return, most notably Adrien Rabiot and N’Golo Kanté.
Besides the controversy Benzema’s return would generate, Deschamps faces the clear sporting reality that the 38-year-old’s presence would create a crisis in attack and necessitate a change in tactics.
Deschamps’ vision for the French national team revolves around Kylian Mbappé, and Benzema’s return would change things, something the coach, who will leave his post after the 2026 World Cup, certainly doesn’t want.
In conclusion, the report indicated that the door to Benzema’s return to France isn’t completely closed, but the situation is extremely complicated.
