Fans are unhappy with the decision to leave France midfielder Rayan Cherki out of the starting XI for their final 2026 FIFA World Cup group game against Norway.
France assitant boss Guy Stéphan made four alterations to the team that started their last outing – a 3-0 win over Iraq. Theo Hernández and Maxence Lacroix replaces Lucas Digne and William Saliba in defence. Aurelien Tchoumeni comes in for Adrien Rabiot in midfield while Desie Doue replaces Bradley Barcola in attack.
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Cherki, 22, featured in France’s opening two games but came on as a substitute in both matches. He has played for just 25 minutes so far at the 2026 World Cup. Les Bleus sit atop their group table heading into today’s game and a draw will be enough to see them retain their position as group winners.
Despite the match being of little significance, Cherki is named among the substitutes for the third consecutive game.
The decision to leave the Manchester City man out of the starting line-up did not sit well with a section of fans, as they took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their dissatisfaction.
A fan wrote:
“France do not deserve Cherki. I’ll be hate watching them in the knockout stages.”
Another tweeted:
“What does he have to do to start😭.”
A third remarked:
“Still not starting Cherki, okay.”
“Why not Cherki surely, they are already qualified,” another added.
“I wonder why they don’t rate Cherki in France. A man city top player,” one chimed in.
France XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Lacroix, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Kone; Dembele, Olise, Doue; Mbappe
Subs: Akliouche, Barcola, Cherki, Digne, Gusto, L. Hernandez, Kante, Konate, Mateta, Rabiot, Risser, Saliba, Samba, Thuram, Zaire-Emery
France boss Dider Deschamps not on touchline for World Cup clash vs Norway
France boss Didier Deschamps will be present for his side’s World Cup clash with Norway. This comes after he left the team’s base camp in Boston following the heartbreaking passing of his mother.
The French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed the heartbreaking news and subsequently released a statement that read:
“The national team manager had the pain of learning of the passing of his mother. He will return to France to attend her funeral. In this extremely painful moment, we wish the manager and his family a lot of courage and assure them of the support of everyone.”
This World Cup was set to be Dechamps’ swansong with Les Bleus. As per reports, there is currently no timeframe for his return to north America as he prioritises his family.
Edited by Ezekiel Olamide