As we count down to the highly anticipated FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and Netherlands 2026, we take a closer look at the competing men's and women's teams ready to battle for global supremacy. In this special preview series, we profile each nation's journey to the tournament, examining their road to qualification, historic achievements, key players to watch, and the tactical minds leading them into the ultimate hockey showcase. In today’s story we take a look at the French men’s team, ranked #9 in the world.

**********

Having failed to qualify for an FIH Hockey World Cup for 28 years, France men are now enjoying something of a renaissance. Their appearance at Bhubaneswar 2018 was their first since finishing seventh at Lahore 1990, and they produced a string of outstanding performances to secure a highly creditable eighth-place finish. Les Bleus returned to the tournament at Bhubaneswar & Rourkela 2023, although a 13th-place finish fell slightly short of expectations ahead of their home Olympic Games at Paris 2024.

A third successive World Cup campaign was secured earlier this year at the qualification tournament in Santiago, Chile. After opening with a 3-2 defeat to Scotland, France responded in emphatic fashion, thrashing Wales 5-0 thanks to a hat-trick from stalwart defender Victor Charlet and a Benjamin Marqué double. A 3-3 draw with the hosts set up a semi-final against Poland, where goals from Timothée Clément (2021-22 FIH Young Player of the Year), Stanislas Branicki, Xavier Esmenjaud and Corentin Sellier sealed a 4-2 victory and guaranteed another World Cup appearance. Although Ireland edged France 2-1 in the final, the tournament proved hugely encouraging, with captain François Goyet named Player of the Tournament and Malo Martinache collecting the Young Player award.

Having reached the EuroHockey Championship semi-finals in 2025 and stormed to glory at recent FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, the team coached by legendary Belgium midfielder John-John Dohmen has found confidence and consistency. Les Bleus won all five matches in Cape Town, defeating South Africa twice as well as Ireland, the United States and Japan, while Sellier (Player of the Tournament), Charlet (top scorer with eight goals) and Martinache (Best Young Player) all collected individual honours. The title also secured promotion to the next edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League.

Nickname: Les Bleus

How they qualified: 2nd place - 2026 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifier, Santiago (CHI)
Notable honours: 4th place – Olympic Games (1920, 1936), 7th place – FIH Men’s World Cup (1971, 1990), 8th place – FIH Men’s World Cup (2018), 6th place – FIH Champions Trophy (1992), 2x 4th place – EuroHockey Championship (1970, 2025), FIH Hockey Nations Cup gold medallists (2025-26), FIH Hockey Nations Cup silver medallists (2023-24)

Rank in previous WC editions: 1971 – 7th, 1990 – 7th, 2018 – 8th, 2023 - 13th

Head coach: John-John Dohmen. One of the most decorated players in hockey history, Dohmen was the driving force behind Belgium's World Cup triumph in 2018 before helping the Red Lions claim Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020. The 2016 FIH Player of the Year retired after the Olympic Games Paris 2024 as the men's world record appearance holder, having earned 481 international caps. Appointed France head coach in February 2025, he has made an immediate impact, instilling the tactical intelligence and winning mentality that characterised his own outstanding playing career.

Quotes: Head Coach John-John Dohmen: “As the coach of the French national team, I am proud to represent this team at the World Cup. We improve with each tournament, and our objective will be the same for this one. As Nations Cup winners, we hope to live up to the world's biggest hockey tournament. We have an amazing group of players and staff which is giving us a lot of energy a trust during games. We have a very strong group with the Germans, the reigning world and European champions, Malaysia, an unpredictable and talented team, and of course Belgium, the world number one. The match against Belgium will be very special for me, but also for all my players, almost all of whom play in what is one of the best leagues in the world. The Belgium-France match will be one of the best of this World Cup.”

Timothée Clément: "After our Nations Cup victory in Cape Town, we got straight back to intense training to prepare for the World Cup, which will be played just next door in Belgium.

We know we have a very challenging pool with world No. 1 Belgium, the host nation, world No. 5 Germany, and a strong Malaysian side. Every game will be a real battle.

Our goal is to challenge the two favorites, create an upset if we can, and make sure we perform at our very best against Malaysia as well. We are working hard every day to arrive in peak condition and give everything on the pitch.

We can’t wait to get started. See you on 15 August at 9:00 pm for our opening match against the home favorites, Belgium. It promises to be a great atmosphere and a fantastic way to begin the tournament."

One to watch: Victor Charlet. A hugely influential figure since making his senior international debut against Great Britain in March 2014, Charlet is one of the world's most dangerous penalty-corner specialists while also providing outstanding leadership in defence. At the time of writing, he had scored an extraordinary 176 goals in 183 international appearances and finished as the leading scorer at France's victorious FIH Hockey Men's Nations Cup campaign in Cape Town with eight goals.

FIH team / stats page: click here.

Website: click here
X: @FF_Hockey Facebook: FFHockey Instagram: ff_hockey

The FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 begins on 15 August, with both men’s and women’s teams in action on opening day across the Netherlands and Belgium. For more information on the competition including the competition format, pools and the complete match schedule, click here.