Uncapped goalkeeper ​Robin Risser and Crystal Palace duo Maxence Lacroix and Jean-Philippe Mateta were all named in ‌France’s World Cup squad by coach Didier Deschamps on Thursday.

Risser was picked on the back of his performances for Racing Lens, who will finish second in Ligue 1 and compete in the French Cup final later this month. The 21-year-old ​was voted Ligue 1’s best goalkeeper earlier this week.

He gets a first call-up at the expense ​of Lucas Chevalier, who had been expected to feature but was overlooked after losing ⁠his starting berth in the Paris Saint-Germain team and being sidelined injured. Chevalier has not played ​since January.

Striker Mateta, who debuted last October, has won three caps and was selected ahead of Randal Kolo ​Muani to fill the place vacated by Hugo Ekitike, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon playing for Liverpool against PSG in the Champions League last month.

“He has a different profile to other strikers,” said Deschamps of his choice.

CAMAVINGA WILL BE DISAPPOINTED ​WITH OMISSION

There was also speculation about whether Deschamps would stick with Eduardo Camavinga, after a disappointing season ​with Real Madrid, but the coach chose defender Lacroix, who made an impressive debut against Brazil in March.

“I would imagine ‌it is ⁠a huge disappointment for him, but he has had a tough season with injury as well,” the coach said of Camavinga.

There were no other surprises in the 26-man squad, which has 10 players who featured in the last World Cup final in Qatar four years ago, while Lucas Hernandez, N’Golo Kante and Kylian ​Mbappe remain from the side ​that won in Moscow ⁠in 2018.

Captain Mbappe leads a formidable attack that also features Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and rising star Michael Olise.

The squad was announced live on the main ​nightly news bulletin on France’s TF1 channel.

France compete in Group I at the ​World Cup ⁠against Iraq, Norway and Senegal.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Robin Risser (Racing Lens), Brice Samba (Stade Rennais)

Defenders: Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Lucas Hernandez (Paris St Germain), Theo Hernandez (Al Hilal), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern ⁠Munich).

Midfielders: N’Golo ​Kante (Fenerbahce), Manu Kone (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris ​St Germain)

Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco), Bradley Barcola (Paris St Germain), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue (both Paris St Germain), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Kylian ​Mbappe (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan).

-Reuters

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Madonna and Shakira will line up with K-pop supergroup BTS to headline the ​first-ever World Cup final halftime show at ‌MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, FIFA said on Thursday.

Coldplay singer Chris Martin will curate the extravaganza scheduled for ​July 19, the tournament’s organiser added.

“The ​FIFA World Cup 2026 Final halftime show ⁠will be a truly special moment, bringing ​together music, football and a shared commitment to ​improving the lives of children around the world,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on social media.

“Together, we will ​support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund ​and help create greater access to quality education and ‌football ⁠for children worldwide.”

The 48-team World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will run from June 11 to July 19. The ​tournament will ​feature 104 ⁠matches, up from the previous 64, including an additional knockout round.

Last ​year’s Club World Cup in North ​America, ⁠which served as a test run for the World Cup, also featured a halftime show ⁠including ​performances from American rapper Doja ​Cat, Colombian singer J Balvin and Nigerian singer Tems.

-Reuters

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Football’s global players’ union renewed concerns on Thursday about ​heat at the 2026 World Cup after scientists warned that the likelihood of dangerous temperatures for players and fans has sharply increased.

An ‌analysis by climate research group World Weather Attribution found that roughly a quarter of the 104 matches at the expanded tournament across the United States, Mexico and Canada are likely to be played in conditions exceeding safety limits recommended by FIFPRO, almost twice the risk seen at the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.

Around five matches could take place in ​conditions considered unsafe, where postponement would be advised, the researchers said.

Scientists assessed the risk using kickoff times and the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) ​index, which measures how effectively the body can cool itself.

“The calculations to estimate the likelihood of 2026 FIFA World ⁠Cup games being played in high WBGT conditions are in line with FIFPRO’s calculations published in 2023,” said FIFPRO’s medical director, Vincent Gouttebarge.

“These estimations justify ​the need for – and implementation of – a series of mitigation strategies with a view to better protecting players’ health and performance when they are exposed to ​hot conditions.”

FIFPRO recommends cooling measures when WBGT rises above 26 degrees Celsius and says matches should be postponed if it exceeds 28C, which is equivalent to roughly 38C in dry heat or 30C in high humidity.

FIFA told Reuters that it has carried out heat-risk planning, with measures including three-minute hydration breaks in each half of games, cooling infrastructure for ​fans and players, adapted work-rest cycles, and enhanced medical readiness that scale according to real-time conditions.

“FIFA is committed to protecting the health and safety of ​players, referees, fans, volunteers and staff,” the global governing body said in a statement.

‘MORE CONSERVATIVE FOOTBALL’

Chris Mullington, consultant anaesthetist at Imperial College London NHS Trust and clinical senior lecturer ‌at Imperial ⁠College London, said extreme heat is more likely to influence how games are played than trigger widespread medical emergencies among players.

“It will be more of a performance issue than a health issue,” he said. “These players are elite athletes and acclimatised. You’ll see players self-pacing. That behavioural thermoregulation is very difficult to override.

“So you may end up with more conservative football.”

Cooling systems are expected to reduce some of the risk at three of the 16 host venues, according to ​the analysis.

However, more than a third of ​games with at least a ⁠10% chance of exceeding 26 C WBGT are scheduled at stadiums without air conditioning, including Miami, Kansas City, New York and Philadelphia.

That includes the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which now faces a one-in-eight chance ​of exceeding the 26 C threshold and a roughly 3% risk of reaching the more dangerous level — about ​double the risk it ⁠would have carried in 1994, the analysis said.

Friederike Otto, professor of climate science at Imperial College London, said the findings highlighted the need for FIFA to reconsider when future World Cups are scheduled, particularly in regions vulnerable to extreme summer heat.

“From a health point of view, it would be advisable to have these (World Cups) ⁠either earlier or ​later in the year, so you can have a football party rather than something that ​is a massive health risk for the whole city,” said Otto.

FIFPRO also warned that while air-conditioned stadiums in cities such as Dallas and Houston may help protect players, fans attending matches and ​outdoor fan festivals could remain exposed to prolonged periods of dangerous heat.

-Reuters

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