France
FIFA #2
Two-time world champions who win in spite of themselves. The squad is always stacked, the drama is always guaranteed, and somehow they keep ending up in finals anyway.
๐ In the US
Staged out of the New York/New Jersey area for MetLife Stadium, which suits a squad comfortable operating at a cosmopolitan scale. The French-speaking contingent from Quebec has made the drive down, and the tri-color jerseys are already competing with the Yankees caps on every corner.
Style
Athletic and explosive on the counter, with the individual quality to hurt you from anywhere on the pitch.
Rivals
Italy. The 2006 World Cup final ended with Zidane headbutting Materazzi in extra time and leaving his teammates to lose on penalties โ the most dramatic international exit ever recorded.
Home Base
France gave the world the World Cup itself โ Jules Rimet, a Frenchman, dreamed it into existence in the 1920s. Football here is shaped enormously by immigrant communities who helped build modern France and its extraordinary national team. On a summer evening, every cafรฉ with a screen becomes a watching party and the noise carries for blocks.
Human Rights
Freedom House
Political rights and civil liberties score (higher = more free)
Reporters Without Borders
Press Freedom Index ranking (lower = more free, out of 180 countries)
UN Human Development Index
Human Development Index score (higher = more developed, 0โ1 scale)
Transparency International
Perceived public sector corruption โ higher is cleaner
ILGA World
Legal status of same-sex relationships