All eyes will be on France to see how their injury-ravaged squad handles their 2022 FIFA World Cup opener against Australia.
As Didier Deschamps aims to defend their title from four years ago and get over the latest injury blow with star man Karim Benzema ruled out, he’ll insist dropping points against Australia isn’t an option.
As for the Socceroos, with matches against Denmark and Tunisia to come they’ll be hoping to find their feet against France in order to best prepare them for two much more winnable games on paper.
Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights for France vs. Australia at the 2022 World Cup. Follow below for complete results from the Group D match in Qatar.
MORE: France vs. Australia prediction, odds, betting tips and best bets
France vs. Australia score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| France | — | — | — |
| Australia | — | — | — |
Goals:
None
Projected lineups:
France probable (3-4-1-2, right to left): 1. Lloris (GK) – 5. Kounde, 4. Varane, 21. L. Hernandez – 20. Coman, 8. Tchouameni, 25. Camavinga, 22. T. Hernandez – 7. Griezmann – 10. Mbappe, 11. Dembele
Australia probable (3-5-2, right to left): 1. Ryan (GK) – 2. Degenek, 19. Souttar, 4. Rowles – 3. Atkinson, 13. Mooy, 22. Irvine, 10. Hrustic, Goodwin – 23. Maclaren, 15. Duke
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France vs. Australia live updates, highlights from 2022 World Cup
1 hr 45 from kickoff: Here’s the pre-match view inside the stadium in Al Wakrah, where the stadium is looking pretty fantastic!
🏟️ Al Janoub Stadium 🏟️
The home of our three group games. #FIFAWorldCup #GiveIt100 pic.twitter.com/4ethzhSDnj
— Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 22, 2022
2 hrs from kickoff: Here’s the scene from inside the French dressing room tonight. Antoine Griezmann’s No.7 shirt on display… could that mean he’s set to lead the line and is the man tasked with filling Benzema’s boots tonight?
Le vestiaire est prêt, et vous ? 🔥
Coup d’envoi à 20h sur @TF1 📺
#FRAAUS #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/RWNC1eeGrc— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) November 22, 2022
2 hrs 45 from kickoff: It’s an early start for Australians watching from Down Under with kickoff at 6am local time. Here’s a lovely message from a few Australia legends to get their fans (and hopefully the players!) in the mood.
The whole nation is behind you, @Socceroos 💪🇦🇺#SupportingThePlayers #GoSocceroos #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/GMN4CKOhnk
— Professional Footballers Australia (@thepfa) November 22, 2022
3 hrs 45 from kickoff: As for Australia, opening tests don’t come much tougher than the reigning World Cup champions. However, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has banned his players from using defeatist words in a bid to build confidence.
“I’ve banned the word ‘fatigued’ and I’ve banned the words ‘in pain’,” Arnold revealed in his pre-match press conference.
“This is the World Cup, there’s no such thing as being tired after a game or fatigued or having a bit of pain and stiffness: recover quickly and get on with it.
“It’s not being disrespectful at all but I’ve hardly mentioned the word France and I’ve hardly mentioned any players’ names,” the Socceroos boss added.
“The players know who they are, but it’s about identifying those players’ strengths and it’s one against one. It’s our job to go out there and show them who we are as a nation.
“The players have that stage, it’s their stage and this is an opportunity in life that can change your life even more than what they have now.”
With the #FIFAWorldCup opener on the horizon, Graham Arnold and @MatyRyan share a moment before our pre-match press conference. 🤗
📺📰 Watch or read the key talking points here: https://t.co/1FJfEXt9ac#Socceroos #GiveIt100 pic.twitter.com/jlvRTieURj
— Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 21, 2022
4 hrs 30 from kickoff: Of course, that is the big omission and still a big talking point from today’s encounter, that the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Benzema won’t be present.
He was ruled out after suffering a thigh injury during training with France and surprisingly Deschamps has chosen not to call up a replacement.
“I’ve got 25 players in my squad. I’m convinced I have the efficient number of players to be able to deal with the challenges we face,” said Deschamps about his decision.
“Before [in previous tournaments] we had 22, 23. Now it is 26 and we are at 25. There are lots of possibilities, lots of players on the bench and, therefore, I believe we have everything we need.”
4 hrs 30 from kickoff: Hello, and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of France vs. Australia!
Australia’s chances have been boosted by the news of Karim Benzema being ruled out… now there’s just the small matter of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann and more to worry about. It will certainly be a tough opening test for the Socceroos.
The 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝘾𝙪𝙥 can begin! 🔥 #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/7197uzdqfp
— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) November 20, 2022
France vs. Australia lineups, team news
France are heavily depleted. Starting midfielders N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba are both missing from the tournament, having struggled with long-term injuries since the summer.
Defender Presnel Kimpembe and attacker Christopher Nkunku were both sent home after being named in the squad and Benzema will play no part in the finals because of a thigh injury.
Goalkeeper Mike Maignan (calf) is not in the squad and defenders Raphael Varane and Jules Kounde have missed chunks of the season for Manchester United and Barcelona respectively.
France probable (3-4-1-2, right to left): 1. Lloris (GK) – 5. Kounde, 4. Varane, 21. L. Hernandez – 20. Coman, 8. Tchouameni, 25. Camavinga, 22. T. Hernandez – 7. Griezmann – 10. Mbappe, 11. Dembele
For Australia, Graham Arnold’s side also have many key players under injury clouds. Starting defensive pairing Kye Rowles and Harry Souttar, as well as attacker Ajdin Hrustic, have all missed large chunks of the season.
Martin Boyle had to be withdrawn from the squad due to his knee injury, with Marco Tilio replacing him. Either Craig Goodwin or Awer Mabil will be Boyle’s direct replacement in the starting side.
In a bold move to curb the reigning champions, Arnold is considering moving to a back three to combat the France attack. This could see winger Goodwin deployed as a left wing-back, and Milos Degenek, Bailey Wright or Thomas Deng drafted in a defensive three.
Australia probable (3-5-2, right to left): 1. Ryan (GK) – 2. Degenek, 19. Souttar, 4. Rowles – 3. Atkinson, 13. Mooy, 22. Irvine, 10. Hrustic, Goodwin – 23. Maclaren, 15. Duke
France vs. Australia live stream, TV channel
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Tuesday, Nov. 22 | 14:00 EST | FOX, Telemundo | fuboTV, Fox Sports site/app, Telemundo Deportes site/app, Peacock |
| Canada | Tuesday, Nov. 22 | 14:00 EST | CTV, TSN, RDS (French) | CTV site/app, TSN site/app |
| UK | Tuesday, Nov. 22 | 19:00 GMT | BBC | BBC iPlayer, BBC website |
| Australia | Wed, Nov. 23 | 06:00 AEDT | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| India | Wednesday, Nov. 23 | 00:30 IST | Sports18 | Voot, JioTV |
| Hong Kong | Wed, Nov. 23 | 03:00 HKT | Now TV (Ch. 616, 618) | Now TV |
| Malaysia | Wed, Nov. 23 | 03:00 MYT | Astro | Astro GO |
| Singapore | Wed, Nov. 23 | 03:00 SGT | StarHub (Ch. 251/252), Singtel TV | Singtel TV GO, CAST, StarHub TV+, MeWatch |
| New Zealand | Wed, Nov. 23 | 08:00 NZDT | Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports | Sky Go, Sky Sport NOW |
Watch the match on fuboTV in USA
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