This Thursday, Jules Kounde’s France side confirmed their place at the 2026 World Cup. Les Bleus did the job with a 4–0 win over Ukraine at the Parc des Princes in Paris, mathematically sealing their ticket for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Fourth Barça player qualified

The Barça defender becomes the fourth member of the team to secure his spot at the World Cup. Raphinha (Brazil), Ronald Araujo (Uruguay) and Marcus Rashford (England) had already done so in previous windows, the Englishman being the most recent, during October’s break.

France, meanwhile, have produced an almost flawless qualifying campaign, unbeaten with four wins and a draw. Individually, Kounde has become a key piece for Didier Deschamps, starting four of the five matches and playing substantial minutes.

Second time for Kounde

This will be Kounde’s second World Cup after Qatar 2022, where he started five matches, including the final against Argentina. He also featured in France’s squads for the last two European Championships (2021 and 2024). So, this will be his fourth major tournament with the senior national team.

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