Didier Claude Deschamps is a French professional football manager and former player who has been managing the France national team since 2012. He played as a defensive midfielder for several clubs, in France, Italy, England and Spain, namely Marseille, Juventus, Chelsea and Valencia, as well as Nantes and Bordeaux. Nicknamed "the water-carrier", Deschamps was an intelligent and hard-working defensive midfielder who excelled at winning back possession and subsequently starting attacking plays, and also stood out for his leadership throughout his career. As a French international, he was capped on 103 occasions and took part at three UEFA European Football Championships and one FIFA World Cup, captaining his nation to victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
The Coupe de France, also known in English as the French Cup or less commonly as the France Cup, is the premier knockout cup competition in French football organised by the French Football Federation (FFF). It was first held in 1917 and is open to all amateur and professional football clubs in France, including clubs based in the overseas departments and territories. Between 1917 and 1919, the competition was called the Coupe Charles Simon, in tribute of Charles Simon, a French sportsman and the founder of the French Interfederal Committee, who died in 1915 while serving in World War I. The final is played at the Stade de France and the winner qualifies for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League and a place in the Trophée des Champions match. A concurrent women's tournament is also held, the Coupe de France Féminine.
Football Club de Nantes, commonly referred to as FC Nantes or simply Nantes, is a French professional football club based in Nantes in Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, as a result of local clubs based in the city coming together to form one large club. From 1992 to 2007, the club was referred to as FC Nantes Atlantique before reverting to its current name at the start of the 2007–08 season. Nantes play in Ligue 1, the first division of Football in France. Nantes is one of the most successful clubs in French football, having won eight Ligue 1 titles, four Coupe de France wins and attained one Coupe de la Ligue victory.
Football Club des Girondins de Bordeaux, commonly referred to as Girondins de Bordeaux or simply Bordeaux, is a French football club based in the city of Bordeaux in Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It competes in the Championnat National 2, the fourth tier of football in France, after an administrative double relegation in 2024.
Henri Patrick Mboma Dem is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the fourth all-time top goal-scorer for the Cameroon national team.
Claude Makélélé Sinda is a French football manager and former professional player who played as a defensive midfielder. He last managed Super League Greece club Asteras Tripolis. Regarded as one of the greatest defensive midfielders of all time, Makélélé has been credited with redefining the defensive midfield role in English football, especially during the 2004–05 FA Premier League season, where he played a key role in helping Chelsea win the title with 95 points. In homage, the defensive midfield position is sometimes colloquially known as the "Makélélé Role".
En Avant Guingamp, commonly referred to as EA Guingamp, EAG, or simply Guingamp, is a French professional football club based in the commune of Guingamp, in France's Brittany region. The club was founded in 1912 and play in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. The club has appeared in the Ligue 1, the top flight of French football, for 13 seasons, and is known for its relative success given Guingamp's small population of only 7,000 people.
Association football is the most popular sport in France. In 2024, 53% of people in France declared an interest in football, with 26% being very interested. The French Football Federation is the national governing body and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of association football in the country, both professional and amateur. The federation organizes the Coupe de France and is responsible for appointing the management of the men's, women's, and youth national football teams in France. The federation gives responsibility of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 to the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) who oversee, organize, and manage the country's top two leagues. The LFP is also responsible for organizing the Coupe de la Ligue, the country's league cup competition. The French Football Federation also supervises the overseas departments and territories leagues and hosts football club AS Monaco, a club based in the independent sovereign state of Monaco. In 2022, the FFF had 2.1 million licensees, 1.8 million players and 14,000 registered clubs, the second highest number of registered players in Europe after Germany.
Jocelyn Angloma is a Guadeloupean football manager and former professional player who played as a defender. Born in Guadeloupe, he represented both the France and Guadeloupe national teams. He is the head coach of the Guadeloupe national team.
Jérémy Toulalan is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, but was also utilized as a central defender. He is best known for his humble demeanor, simple distribution, good technique and effective tackling.
Claude Papi was a French football midfielder who is regarded as the all-time best player for the SC Bastia.
Union Sportive Tshinkunku commonly known as US Tshinkunku, is a Congolese football club based in Kananga, Kasaï-Central province, currently playing in the Linafoot, the first level of the Congolese football and their home games are played at Stade des Jeunes.
Aurélien Bayard Chedjou Fongang is a Cameroonian former professional footballer who played as a centre back for LOSC Lille, Galatasaray, Bursaspor, Adana Demirspor and the Cameroon national team.
Football is, along with rugby union, one of the most popular sports in the African island nation of Madagascar. The sport is governed in the country by the Malagasy Football Federation.
Gérald Edmond Louis Baticle is a French professional football manager and former player who played as a striker. He is the current coach of the France national under-21 football team.
Tsuneyasu Miyamoto is a former Japanese football coach and former player who last coached Gamba Osaka. He played for Japan national team and is the current president of the Japan Football Association.
Larry Francis Abdel Azouni is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 club Espérance de Tunis. Born in France, he opted to represent Tunisia internationally.
James-Edward Manfred Léa Siliki is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Born in France, he represents Cameroon at international level.
Alexis Claude-Maurice is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and forward for Bundesliga club Augsburg.
Celin Bizet Ildhusøy is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Manchester United and the Norway national team.
