In a recent interview with the Telegraph, Eric Dier, midfielder of AS Monaco, expressed his surprise at the exceptional level of young players of the Monegasque club. He compared this pool of talents to the one he had known in Sporting Portugal, with players like Figo, Ronaldo and Nanis, as well as the Tottenham team under Pochettino, where the homogenous age and collective progression were dominant. Dier pointed out that surrounding him with such young and energetic players keeps him himself young and motivated.

The French team played a qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup against Ukraine, won 2-0. The official compositions of the two teams were unveiled before the kick-off in Wroclaw, Poland. The game was broadcast live on TF1. At the same time, several qualifying matches in Africa took place, including Morocco’s wide victory over Niger (5-0), led by players in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Egypt also won its match against Ethiopia (2-0), while Côte d’Ivoire beat Burundi (1-0). Senegal took over Sudan (2-0).

Other qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup were also played, with notable results such as Iceland’s victory over Azerbaijan (5-0), Switzerland’s dominance over Kosovo (4-0) with Denis Zakaria on the bench, and Italy’s exploit against Estonia (5-0). Sweden conceded the match against Slovenia, while Denmark’s Pierre-Emile Hojlund made a draw against Scotland. The Czech Republic won against Montenegro (2-0) with Pavel Sulc in title. These results reflect the intense competition to qualify for the next World Cup.