France's route to 2022 World Cup final: Who will Les Bleus face in Round of 16 and beyond? - Sporting News
France came through the 2022 World Cup group stages unscathed to finish top of Group D, and book a Round of 16 showdown against Poland. Les Bleus' build up to Qatar 2022 was dominated by a host of injury withdrawals, with 2018 heroes N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba both sidelined, alongside 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema on the eve of the tournament. However, Didier Deschamps' charges have shown the resilience needed from defending champions so far, with Kylian Mbappe staking his claim for the Golden Boot. Major tests lie ahead for France if they want to retain their title from Russia 2018 — and the 1-0 defeat to Tunisia on matchday three will be a concern, albeit they rested a host of regular first-team stars — but they still look to have the confidence of champions ahead of the knockout stages. MORE: Can France repeat at World Cup 2022? Round of 16: France vs Poland France's positive reaction to their inju...