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As expected, France has proven to be one of the teams to beat at the 2026 World Cup. Les Bleus is littered with talent at all three levels of the pitch, and manager Didier Deschamps has his team playing a free-flowing brand of football.
Upon winning Group I in convincing fashion with three wins and a +8 goal difference, France is set to face Sweden in the Round of 32. Assuming a win vs. Sweden is ahead, who could France face en route to the World Cup Final?
Below, we’ll dissect who France could play in each round of the 2026 World Cup, all the way to the World Cup Final.
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Note: Within this article, we’ll use the WorldCup2026Predictions.app to show the most likely opponents for France in each round.
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Who Will France Play in the Round of 32?
Date, Kickoff Time: Tuesday, June 30, at 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: MetLife Stadium (New York New Jersey Stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Opponent: Sweden
Winner Payout: France 1.23x | Tie 5.26x | Sweden 9.09x
Spread: France -1.5 (1.72x payout)
Total: 3.5 (Over - 2.08x | Under - 1.69x)
As mentioned above, France will take on Sweden in the Round of 32. Sweden finished in third place in Group F, behind the Netherlands and Japan.
During the group stage, Sweden produced 7 goals and conceded 7 goals, so they’re certainly vulnerable on defense. According to FotMob, Sweden is 32nd in xG conceded (4.1) at this point of the tournament.
Ahead of the match between France and Sweden on Tuesday, June 30, at 5:00 p.m. ET, Les Bleus has a 1.23x payout to win (compared to Sweden having a 9.09x payout), via PrizePicks Team Picks.
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Payouts show potential returns on correct Team Picks predictions. A 2x payout returns $200 on a $100 entry. Lower multipliers reflect outcomes users are picking as more likely. Payouts are live as of writing and subject to change.
World Cup Round of 16
Date, Kickoff Time: Saturday, July 4, at 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Stadium) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
France to Qualify for World Cup Round of 16: Yes 1.07x | No 7.14x
Opponent: Paraguay
If France were to beat Sweden in the Round of 32, their most likely opponent, according to WorldCup2026Predictions.app, was Germany. In fact, they had a 74% chance to advance, but that was before Paraguay shocked the world with Monday's win in penalty kicks.
Paraguay snuck into the Round of 32 as the third-place team in Group D. Only Tunisia (who fired their manager after their first group match) had fewer xG than Paraguay (1.1). They still managed only 1 goal in the Round of 32 win vs. Germany.
Another outstanding defensive effort would be needed for Paraguay to stay close against France.
World Cup Quarterfinals
Date, Kickoff Time: Thursday, July 9, at 4:00 p.m. ET
Location: Gillette Stadium (Boston Stadium) in Foxborough, Massachusetts
France to Qualify for World Cup Quarterfinals: Yes 1.19x | No 4.34x
Potential Opponent: Morocco (68%)
In a scenario where Les Bleus advance beyond the Round of 16, they’re expected to take on Morocco in the quarterfinals. Aside from Morocco, Canada has a 27% probability to appear in the Round of 16.
The Netherlands were tied with Germany, Brazil, and Mexico for the second-best goal difference (+6) entering the knockout stage. But that wasn't enough against Morocco, who dominated possession (70%) while limiting the Dutch to 6 shots and 2 shots on target in Monday night's win in penalty shots.
Morocco is fourth in xG (7.5), and Canada is second in xG (8.9), so it could be a high-scoring affair between France and their opponent in the Round of 16 — assuming Les Bleus advance that far.
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World Cup Semifinals
Date, Kickoff Time: Tuesday, July 14, at 3:00 p.m. ET
Location: AT&T Stadium (Dallas Stadium) in Arlington, Texas
France to Qualify for World Cup Semifinals: Yes 1.42x | No 2.7x
Potential Opponent: Spain (58%)
Currently, France is projected to face Spain in the semifinals, which would be quite the spectacle — given the talent and depth of both teams. The bracket path has Spain beating the USA in the quarterfinals, making it possible for the USMNT to be France’s foe here.
On top of WorldCup2026Predictions.app giving France a 54% chance to advance this far, Portugal (12%), Belgium (10%), and the USA (9%) are the other most likely opponents alongside Spain.
Spain cruised to win Group H, securing 7 points and coughing up 0 goals. Facing La Roja would be a stiff test for Les Bleus, as Spain posted the fewest xG conceded (0.5), while they’re also tied for the 12th-most xG (5.3).
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World Cup Final
Date, Kickoff Time: Sunday, July 19, at 3:00 p.m. ET
Location: MetLife Stadium (New York New Jersey Stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey
France to Qualify for World Cup Final: Yes 2.08x | No 1.69x
France to Win World Cup: Yes 3.12x | No 1.35x
Potential Opponent: Argentina (40%)
Although WorldCup2026predictions.app has Spain and Argentina meeting in the World Cup Final, the second-most likely final features France and Argentina squaring off in a rematch of the final at the 2022 World Cup. The predictions app has France and England facing each other in the third-place match, with Les Bleus having a 29% chance to make it to the final on their side of the bracket.
On Sunday night, France was favored with a 3.7x payout to win the World Cup. That's dropped to 3.12x since, as Les Bleus is pulling away as the favorite to win this tournament.
It took penalties to decide a victor between France and Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, and these teams both look dominant again in 2026. Argentina has conceded the fifth-fewest xG (1.6), and FW Lionel Messi is unstoppable right now.
No one would complain to witness ST Kylian Mbappé and Messi going toe-to-toe in the World Cup Final again.
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France is still expected to make a deep push in the 2026 World Cup, and they’ve got plenty of momentum entering the Round of 32. Who could Les Bleus face in the upcoming rounds along their potential path to the World Cup Final?
You can make your World Cup predictions on how far France or other teams will advance in the knockout stage on PrizePicks Team Picks — available in 35 states!
Stay locked in on Playbook for daily World Cup 2026 predictions, picks, news, and analysis through the World Cup Final.
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