The French team, placed in hat 3 after a last failed campaign - 3rd in its group behind Croatia and Denmark - could inherit an extremely tough group during the draw for the next League of Nations, at the Maison de la Mutualité in Paris this Thursday.
This is what happened by pulling Italy, Israel and Belgium, but only in part.
The Blues avoided even stronger teams, such as Spain, reigning champions, Croatia and Portugal.
While Didier Deschamps, present in Paris for the occasion, and his troops are in full preparations for the final phase of the Euro
(June 14-July 14 in Germany)
, they know their future opponents for a competition which will ask them to leave next September, well before embarking on qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The group stage of this 2024-2025 edition of the Nations League will take place in a very short time, in the fall of 2024. The dates of the matches are as follows:
Day 1: September 5-7.
Day 2: September 8-10.
Day 3: October 10-12.
Day 4: October 13-15.
Day 5: November 14-16.
Day 6: November 17-19.
Furthermore, the formula has evolved a little compared to the three previous editions since now the first two of the four groups of League A will play quarter-finals - first leg on March 20, 2025, return on March 25, 2025 -, the four winners being qualified for the four-way final - June 4-8, 2025.
The Blues in search of a second coronation
There will be no shortage of obstacles for the Blues on the road to a possible second coronation after that of 2021. In particular, Italy, quadruple world champion and winner of the Euro in 2021, also remains a prestigious opponent still very complicated to maneuver, even if the Nazionale is going through a difficult time, between absence from the 2022 World Cup and qualification at the last minute for the 2024 European Championship.
Belgium with Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku as scarecrows is also a very serious client.
The French team, unlike in previous years, will have to play the game until the end since this time a possible 3rd place as in 2022 will no longer guarantee it a stay in League A.
With the new version of the event, the third places in each group will have to go through a play-off in March 2025 against the second places in the League B groups to maintain their position among the continental elite.