Hosts France drop roster for World Cup

Another World Cup roster dropping today? Well if you insist... France, you’re up.

As anticipated, Corinne Diacre has opted to leave 20-year-old Marie-Antoinette Katoto at home this summer, yet her omission remains one of the more notable.

Other than the PSG youngster, the squad isn’t 100 miles away from what people may have guessed as there is only one change from the last group of 23. The only difference between the team for the World Cup and the one that faced Japan and Denmark in April is Fleury’s Maéva Clemaron coming in for the experienced Kheira Hamraoui. Which in itself is a surprise given Hamraoui’s recent form for Barcelona, although Diacre proved from the outset that she has no bones about who she wants involved, with little time for nostalgia.

The team is a strong one, maybe with a few names other coaches wouldn’t have even toyed with but there is a method to the madness. The real measure of the team will be whether they can withstand the considerable pressure of being hosts, especially now that the men have their own World Cup. For all the good results the team have picked up since being kicked out of the 2017 Euros, each of those 22 matches has been a friendly with the focus on growing the group. France, a known unknown at their own World Cup.

Goalkeepers: Sarah Bouhaddi (Lyon), Solène Durand (Guingamp), Pauline Peyraud-Magnin (Arsenal).

Defenders: Julie Debever (Guingamp), Sakina Karchaoui (Montpellier), Amel Majri (Lyon), Griedge Mbock Bathy (Lyon), Ève Périsset (Paris Saint-Germain), Wendie Renard (Lyon), Marion Torrent (Montpellier), Aïssatou Tounkara (Atlético Madrid).

Midfielders: Charlotte Bilbault (Paris FC) Élise Bussaglia (Dijon), Grace Geyoro (Paris Saint-Germain), Maéva Clemaron (Fleury), Amandine Henry (Lyon), Gaëtane Thiney (Paris FC)

Attackers: Viviane Asseyi (Bordeaux), Delphine Cascarino (Lyon), Kadidiatou Diani (Paris Saint-Germain), Valérie Gauvin (Montpellier), Emelyne Laurent (Lyon), Eugénie Le Sommer (Lyon)