Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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Winners in 2018, runners-up in 2022 – will 2026 be France’s year to once again rule the roost on soccer’s biggest stage?
With a new year, comes a new set of goals and for the world’s newly crowned best men’s soccer player, Ousmane Dembélé, another shot at World Cup glory is high on his agenda.
After lifting the trophy in Russia eight years ago, painful memories of an agonizing loss to Argentina in Qatar remain. The chance, though, for redemption on US soil this summer and a tilt at a third global title for Les Bleus is an opportunity he wants to grab with both hands.
“We know what it takes to go all the way and we’re going to try to do everything to bring the trophy home,” the forward exclusively told CNN Sports after winning the Best Men’s Player Award at the recent Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“We know we have a mission in the United States. We’ve been talking about this World Cup for a long time now and I think we’ll be ready for the occasion.”
Leading from the front
Undertaking that mission will be a group of players very different to the ones that took to the field in the Lusail Stadium in December 2022.
Gone are veterans Hugo Lloris, Raphaël Varane, Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud.
The class of 2026 under France coach Didier Deschamps is a mix of energetic youth and experienced heads with Dembélé poised to be one of the leading figures alongside fellow striker Kylian Mbappé.
“There’ve been a huge number of changes,” he says. “We’ve got talented players who’ve adapted very well to the style and squad.
“The French team will always play a leading role in this kind of tournament, so you’ll have to count on us.”
The 28-year-old acknowledges that the tournament won’t be easy, with a standout group stage match against Norway, featuring Premier League stars Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, on the horizon.
However, the team’s opening match of the tournament – a June 16 clash against Senegal at MetLife Stadium – is what the forward has circled in his diary.
Born and raised in France to immigrants from Africa, his mother Fatima, with whom he shares a close bond, is Mauritanian-Senegalese while his father hails from Mali.
“I received a ton of messages after that,” he smiles, recalling December’s World Cup draw.
“People told me to score an own goal (against Senegal). Literally! There are several of us in this team who are Senegalese and French. It’s going to be a very beautiful match.”
Life changing 2025
It’s not just at national level where the attacker is eyeing further success.
2025 was a transformative year individually and at club level for Dembélé.
He was an instrumental part of the Paris Saint-Germain team which ran riot in France last season, finishing as the league’s top scorer as Les Parisiens won a domestic double.
With eight goals and six assists in 15 Champions League matches, Dembélé galvanized the young PSG squad on its way to a historic first-ever European Cup with a thumping 5-0 win over Inter Milan, in which he supplied goals for Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The rewards for his exploits? The prestigious Ballon d’Or in September, followed by the FIFA Best Award in December and the aforementioned Globe Soccer Award before the turn of the year.
It was the fulfillment of a personal childhood dream and testament to the story that the road to the very top is far from straightforward.
Dembélé burst onto the scene, winning France’s young player of the year award in his first season as a professional at Stade Rennais, the following season, he helped Borussia Dortmund win the German Cup. But a big-money move to European giant Barcelona smothered him in weighty expectations and he was hamstrung with a plethora of injuries.
To many, his trajectory was ruined.
“I remember moments in my career when it was difficult, when I couldn’t give up. It was mostly mental,” he says.
“I had a lot of things to deal with … But there you go, it’s your path, it’s destiny, it’s life. You just have to keep playing.”
A united, great team
His arrival at PSG in 2023, which more or less coincided with the appointment of head coach Luis Enrique, has proved to be the rebirth of his career.
Dembélé has thrived under Enrique’s focus on wanting the collective – not individuals – to be the star, particularly following the departure of superstar Mbappé to Real Madrid in the summer of 2024.
“Every footballer wants to have a team that is collectively very strong. I take a lot of pleasure in this team,” he says proudly. “Everyone is important in this squad whether you’re young or a bit older.”
The shift in mentality from the star-laden teams of Mbappé, Lionel Messi and Neymar to Enrique’s hardworking group bore remarkable results for the club with a stunning six trophies in 2025.
Les Parisiens continued where they left off by lifting their first trophy of the year last week as they defeated arch-rival Olympique de Marseille in dramatic fashion on penalties to claim their fourth straight French Super Cup title.
While the team is engaged in a closely fought title race in France with the unexpectedly high-flying Lens, PSG will have its their eyes on becoming the first team since Los Blancos to win back-to-back Champions Leagues.
With two matchdays remaining in the league phase, the defending champions remain on course to qualify automatically for the round of 16, currently sitting third in the standings with 13 points from six matches.
The Frenchman and his teammates, though, are not content with the winning to stop there.
The message from Dembélé is clear: Paris Saint-Germain isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
“As the coach repeated to us, it’s by being a team that we can go and get all these trophies and that’s what we did, especially in 2025 and we’re going to try and do the same thing in 2026,” he says.
“The philosophy of Paris Saint-Germain and the team isn’t going to change.
“We want to be a united team and, above all, a great team.”
