Health problems in the French squad before the 2026 World Cup

The French national team continues to prepare for the upcoming 2026 World Cup, although not everything is going according to plan. According to information provided by RMC Sport, only 24 of the 26 called-up players showed up at the last training session. The main cause for concern is the situation of William Saliba, who had to exercise according to an individual program due to back problems. The French defender has already missed the previous training session and his health condition is under close observation by the medical staff, although there is no official information about his possible exclusion from the opening match.  Theo Hernandez, in turn, also did not take part in the classes. The decision to rest him was made by coach Didier Deschamps and his staff as part of preventive management of the player's workload, despite the lack of official reports of the injury. France is preparing for their first World Cup match against Senegal. Then, in the group phase, they will face Iraq and Norway. Deschamps hopes for a quick recovery of both players. In attack, the coach has a dilemma who will play next to Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappe, choosing between Bradley Barcola and Lesley Doué.