France will kick off its World Cup title defense when it hosts Ukraine in the opening round of 2022 World Cup qualifying on Wednesday.
No country has won back-to-back World Cups since Pelé's Brazil did so in 1958 and 1962, but with its young core led by 22-year-old phenom Kylian Mbappé, France has as good a chance as any defending champion.
Les Bleus are the heavy favorites in Group D, where they will play home and away matches against Ukraine, Finland, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kazakhstan. The winners of each group will advance to the World Cup in Qatar that starts in November 2022; the second-place finishers and two qualifiers from the UEFA Nations League will compete in a three-group playoff for the remaining three spots in March 2022.