Mateta handed France call-up for World Cup qualifiers
LONDON, Oct 2 – Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has been rewarded for his strong start to the season with a first call-up to the France national team for World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Iceland, coach Didier Deschamps said on Thursday.
Mateta, 28, has scored four goals in 10 matches across all competitions so far this campaign, helping Palace stay unbeaten in the Premier League where they currently sit third in the table. Last season he scored 17 goals for the south London side and since the start of the 2023/24 season he has netted 32 in the league.
The forward, who previously represented France at under-21 level, also played a leading role at the 2024 Paris Olympics where he struck five goals in six games as Thierry Henry’s side finished with the silver medal. Despite that form he had never been picked by Deschamps until now.
“I like his profile,” Deschamps told reporters. “He is not so young, but he played in almost all of the youth teams. He can score goals.”
Mateta’s chance comes in part due to injuries to senior attackers. Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and his Paris Saint-Germain team mate Desire Doue are unavailable, while Inter Milan forward Marcus Thuram is also out. Thuram has struggled with goals for Les Bleus, netting just two in 31 caps and none in almost two years.
AC Milan’s Christopher Nkunku was recalled to the squad, while Manchester City forward Rayan Cherki is missing after being sidelined in recent weeks. Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike and Monaco midfielder Maghnes Akliouche both kept their places having made debuts last month.
In midfield, Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga returns after serving a suspension. He has not featured for France since March. His club colleague Aurelien Tchouameni is out after picking up a ban.
France, who won the World Cup in 2018 and reached the final in 2022, top Group D after wins over Ukraine and Iceland last month. Two more victories this month could be enough to seal qualification with two matches to spare, depending on other results. They host Azerbaijan in Paris on October 10 before travelling to Reykjavik to play Iceland three days later.
France squad
Goalkeepers: Lucas Chevalier (Paris Saint-Germain), Mike Maignan (AC Milan/ITA), Brice Samba (Rennes)
Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa/ENG), Malo Gusto (Chelsea/ENG), Lucas Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain), Theo Hernandez (Al Hilal/KSA), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool/ENG), Jules Kounde (Barcelona/ESP), William Saliba (Arsenal/ENG), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/GER)
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid/ESP), Manu Kone (Roma/ITA), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/GER), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan/ITA), Khephren Thuram (Juventus/ITA)
Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Kingsley Coman (Al-Nassr/KSA), Hugo Ekitike (Liverpool/ENG), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace/ENG), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid/ESP), Christopher Nkunku (AC Milan/ITA)