France coach Didier Deschamps included Raphael Varane in his World Cup squad on Wednesday despite the defender’s recent injury problems, while in-form striker Olivier Giroud was also called up.
Deschamps selected 25 of a possible 26 players for the tournament in Qatar, where France will attempt to become the first team to defend their World Cup title since Brazil in 1962.
Eleven members of the 2018 title-winning squad return, including captain Hugo Lloris and reserve goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, along with Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.
Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, who has missed a series of games for Real Madrid this season because of injury, is set for his first World Cup appearance since 2014.
Benzema was frozen out of the France team for five and a half years due to his role in a blackmail scandal involving a sextape and his international teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
He was convicted for his role in that affair last year but by then he had returned to the France side, playing at Euro 2020 and in the team that won the UEFA Nations League.