Manager: Jacques Santini
Star Players: Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, Marcel Desailly
Honours: 1998 World Cup; 1984, 2000 European Championship
Qualification: Winners, Group 1
The current champions flew through their qualifying group, winning all eight of their matches, scoring 29 goals in the process.

Tournament favourites, the French will be a difficult side to beat with a squad of unrivalled depth and quality.

After a humiliating World Cup, France will be hoping that they can re-establish themselves as Europe’s best side and thus become the first team to successfully defend the Henri Delaunay trophy.

European Championship Record

Year

Year

1960: 4th

1984: Winners

1964: Quarter-Finals (DNQ)

1988: Did not qualify

1968: Quarter-Finals (DNQ)

1992: Group Stage

1972: Did not qualify

1996: Semi-Finals

1976: Did not qualify

2000: Winners

1980: Did not qualify

2004: Qualified


The Matches

Date

Opponents

Venue

Comp

KO

13 Jun 04

England

Lisbon (Luz)

ECF

2-1

17 Jun 04

Croatia

Leiria

ECF

2-2

21 Jun 04

Switzerland

Coimbra

ECF

3-1

25 Jun 04

Greece

Jose Alvalade

ECF

0-1


The Squad

1 Mickaël LANDREAU
2 Jean-Alain BOUMSONG
3 Bixente LIZARAZU
4 Patrick VIEIRA
5 William GALLAS
6 Claude MAKELELE
7 Robert PIRES
8 Marcel DESAILLY
9 Louis SAHA
10 Zinédine ZIDANE
11 Sylvain WILTORD
12 Thierry HENRY
13 Mikaël SILVESTRE
14 Jérôme ROTHEN
15 Lilian THURAM
16 Fabien BARTHEZ
17 Olivier DACOURT
18 Benoît PEDRETTI
19 Willy SAGNOL
20 David TREZEGUET
21 Steve MARLET
22 Sidney GOVOU
23 Grégory COUPET