France's incredible attack fuels sky-high confidence levels as World Cup glory expected

BOSTON — If you speak to any France fans out there, they are probably going to tell you they will win the 2026 men's World Cup. "We are going to win" a France fan confidently told me, as soon as I walked out of my hotel room in downtown Boston on Friday ahead of their shellacking of Norway. And that theme continued all day. The 4-1 win against Norway made sure France went perfect in Group I , as they finished top of the table with three wins from three and scored nine goals in the process. And given their incredibly talented squad and how their stars are playing so far this summer, the confidence of their fans is very well-placed. Part of a group wearing tricolor wigs outside the stadium before the game, positive vibes were flowing from Nono Bogoss from Marseille. "We are going to win the World Cup, for sure, because we have so many good players a good coach and good supporters," Bogoss said. His friends, including Karim Djzair from Nice who was so excited he just kept kept shouting at the top of his voice, backed him up: "Mbappe is going to win the Golden Boot and France is going to win the World Cup, all of that. We have the best team" Why? "So many attackers. They are the the best in the world, the defenders are the best in the world, the midfielders are the best in the world, the goalkeeper is one of the best in the world, so we are going to win. No doubt," Bogoss explained, with no hesitation. The #France fans I spoke to here in Boston are very, very confident, not just about winning today, but winning the #WorldCup . Nono Bogoss from Marseille and Karim Djzair from Nice are having a fantastic time, and they sum up the French vibe at this tournament very nicely ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/C7wBEbrLcw — Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) June 26, 2026 That confidence runs throughout the French fans and team and fuels them. The players aren't scared of the expectations. They expect glory themselves. Standing at the railings right at the top of Boston Stadium looking out over the pitch at half time, France fan Hugo Reich, from Paris, sums it up very well. "Yeah, it looks like they're pretty good," Reich smiled. "I believe that we have four strikers that are definitely in the top 10 in the world. That's definitely something different from the other teams. And also the new piece of having Michael Olise in the team is like the new heart of France. He's playing as a number 10 and playing super well. So even Rayan Cherki can't get in because Olise is too good." And then there's Kylian Mbappe and his impact on the pitch has. "It seems like when Mbappe is playing, three players are coming to him and then they are leaving Dembele empty, and that's the beginning of the end for the other team," Reich said. ¡¡¡HAT-TRICK!!! ¡¡¡OUSMANE DEMBÉLÉ!!! El Balón de Oro nuevamente firma de zurda y aumenta la ventaja para Francia sobre Noruega. ¡Ya lleva 4 goles en la Copa del Mundo 2026! pic.twitter.com/mQXlAQrElQ — Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) June 26, 2026 Dembele scored a hat trick on Friday. Mbappe set up two of those goals. Michael Olise was sensational. Desire Doue buzzed around and scored a lovely header later on, as Cherki and Bradley Barcola came on to cause chaos. France's attack is purring, but they did give up a few big chances against Norway. Are they worried about the defense? "I mean, we will play offensive all the time. Even in the knockout round games we will play offensive," Reich said. "So at the end of the day, we're gonna score goals, that's for sure. And the defense is not the strength of France but we are strong enough to resist and be above the other teams, I believe." That confidence from the fans has clearly spread to the players, who want to prove they can go one better than the last World Cup and win it all for the second time in three tournaments. They also have extra motivation: do it for Didier Deschamps. The head coach is currently back in France after the death of his mother and will rejoin the squad at some point, in his final tournament as their manager. "A lot of them won the Champions League with PSG as well. We have the Ballon d'Or winner in Dembele, of course Mbappe. And I believe that the family issue of Didier Deschamps, and that it is his last tournament in charge, is something that is bringing a touch. It is very unfortunate of course because it's his mother, but I'm pretty sure that the team will carry the coach and make sure that the coach ends his career the best way with them," Reich said. Right now it's hard to see France not winning a game because of the confidence flowing through their players and fans. The fact they have scored at least three goals in every game in the toughest groups at the World Cup sums up just how good they are.