France will begin their World Cup title defense with a matchup against intercontinental qualifiers Australia in Qatar.
Les Bleus are dealing with a host of key injuries including the absence of Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema. They have struggled in recent UEFA Nations League play, but still boast a supremely talented squad on paper.
Star forward Kylian Mbappe is a rising talent in the game, already one of the very best attackers in the world at 23 years old. He won Best Young Player at the 2018 World Cup, helping surge France to victory as a teenager.
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France vs. Australia odds
The odds heavily favor the defending champions, and for good reason, as the squad boasts such stars as Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, and many other top European names.
The biggest question seems to be whether Australia can find the back of the net against a France side that has been breached in six of their last eight matches.
Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), and Ladbrokes (Australia).
| BetMGM | Sports Interaction |
SkyBet | Ladbrokes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France win | -400 | 1.20 | 2/9 | 1.25 |
| Draw | +500 | 6.23 | 5/1 | 5.75 |
| Australia win | +1150 | 12.00 | 12/1 | 12.00 |
| Both teams to score Y / N |
+125 / -175 | 2.13 / 1.56 | 5/4, 4/7 | 2.25, 1.60 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
-160 / +115 | 1.63 / 2.14 | 4/6, 11/10 | 1.62, 2.15 |
| France -1.5 | -140 | 1.73 | — | — |
| Australia +1.5 | +100 | 2.03 | — | — |
France vs. Australia: 3 things to know
France vs. Australia 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 centre-backs Raphael Varane and Jules Kounde have missed chunks of the season for Manchester United and Barcelona respectively.
As well as having one of the weaker squads in the tournament, Graham Arnold’s side have many key players under injury clouds. Starting centre-back pairing Kye Rowles and Harry Souttar, as well as attacking players Martin Boyle and Ajdin Hrustic, have all missed large chunks of the season.
There is particular concern surrounding Boyle, who may have to be withdrawn from the squad due to his knee injury. Marco Tilio has been training with the side in light of this and will replace him in the squad, with either Craig Goodwin or Awer Mabil being his direct replacements 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 Craig Goodwin deployed as a left wing-back, and Milos Degenek, Bailey Wright or Thomas Deng drafted in as a third centre-back.
MORE: Full injury tracker for all 32 teams at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
France vs. Australia key stats
- Australia have not won a World Cup game since 2010, and have just two wins in their last 13 World Cup games. The Socceroos have not scored a non-penalty World Cup goal since Tim Cahill in 2014.
- Kylian Mbappe is second amongst players in the Big 5 European leagues with 19 goals across all competitions, behind only Erling Haaland’s 23.
- No team has repeated as World Cup champion since Brazil in 1962.
8 seconds ⚡️ 1 goal ⚽️#LOSCPSG (1-7) | @KMbappe pic.twitter.com/LR2HAQPudq
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 23, 2022
France vs. Australia match facts
- Date: Tuesday, November 22
- Kickoff Time: 2:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm GMT / 8:00 am AEST (Wed, Nov. 23)
- Location: Al Janoub Stadium
- Official: Victor Gomes (South Africa)
France vs. Australia prediction
- Moneyline lean: France (-400)
- Against the spread lean: France -1.5 (-140)
- Score prediction: France 2-0 Australia
This France side is vulnerable, but against Australia, the challenge won’t be stiff enough to cause problems. France are a slow, plodding side that will create chances, but not at an obscene pace, choking the life out of the ball and leaving Australia feeding on scraps.
Australia’s recent World Cup history makes for ugly reading, and they’ll have a mountain to climb here.
The Socceroos will have to rely on taking advantage of set-pieces, which they excel at, but still, it’s difficult to bet on those kind of chances. In all likelihood, the favorites will roll here, and look to round into form for the more challenging stages of this competition.
France vs. Australia: best bet
- Pick: France to win & under 3.5 goals
- Odds: +100 (BetMGM)
France are -400 favorites, which makes it tough to find openings with Les Bleus, but tacking on an inflated under seems to do the trick, giving us one-to-one odds.
Australia are a plucky side, but struggle to score goals when matched up against a defensively stout opponent. They were held goalless by Peru in the international qualifier, only advancing via a penalty shootout. The Socceroos were also held off the scoresheet by Japan once and Saudi Arabia twice in World Cup qualifying. Their second-leading scorer through World Cup qualifying was Harry Souttar, a center-back who missed the final four games of the cycle.
However, one thing Australia can do is defend, and France’s slow, plodding buildup should allow the favorites to emerge victorious and not smash the total.
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