France have strengthened their place among football’s most successful World Cup nations after reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 tournament, matching a series of historic milestones achieved by some of the game’s greatest teams.
Their latest run to the last four has seen Les Bleus draw level with Italy on the list of nations with the most victories in World Cup history, while also becoming only the third country to reach three consecutive men’s World Cup semi-finals.
The achievement adds another chapter to France’s recent success on the global stage and underlines the consistency that has defined the national side across multiple tournaments.
By progressing to the semi-finals, France have now recorded 45 victories at the FIFA World Cup, moving alongside Italy into fourth place on the all-time list.
Only Brazil, Germany and Argentina have won more World Cup matches. Brazil remain at the top with 79 victories, followed by Germany on 70 and Argentina with 52, while France and Italy now share fourth place with 45 wins each.
France’s latest accomplishment also places them in an exclusive group of nations to have reached the semi-finals in three successive editions of the men’s World Cup.
Before this achievement, only Germany and Brazil had managed such consistency. Germany reached the last four in 1982, 1986 and 1990 before repeating the feat between 2002 and 2014. Brazil also produced three consecutive semi-final appearances from 1994 to 2002.
France have now joined those two football heavyweights by reaching the semi-finals in the 2022, 2026 and current editions of the competition.
Their success has also been built on an impressive record in knockout football.
Since being eliminated by Germany in the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup, France have not lost a World Cup knockout match in regulation time. The sequence highlights the team’s ability to perform under pressure during the decisive stages of the tournament.
Captain Kylian Mbappé has continued to play a leading role in France’s remarkable campaign while adding further milestones to his own World Cup career.
The forward has become the only player since 1966 to register 10 decisive goal contributions in two separate World Cup tournaments.
His record across the past two editions is identical. At the 2022 World Cup, Mbappé finished with eight goals and two assists, and he has matched those numbers in the 2026 tournament with another eight goals and two assists.
France’s attacking strength has also been reflected in the partnership between Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé.
The pair have become the first teammates since Brazil’s triumphant 2002 World Cup campaign to each score at least five goals in the same tournament.
Brazil achieved the feat through Ronaldo, who scored eight goals, and Rivaldo, who added five. Twenty-four years later, France have repeated that landmark with Mbappé scoring eight times and Dembélé contributing five goals.
The combination of sustained team success and individual excellence has further reinforced France’s standing among the leading nations in World Cup history.
Their latest semi-final appearance has not only extended an impressive run at the tournament but has also seen Les Bleus equal long-standing records, join an exclusive list of football powers and continue producing performances that rank among the most consistent in World Cup history.
