France World Cup Betting
France have reached two World Cup finals, the first was the 1998 World Cup which they hosted and won and the second in 2006 when they finished runners-up to Italy in Germany. In 1998 they realised all the potential that they had threatened to do for many years and win with star player Zinedine Zidane on song they beat Brazil 3-0 in a very one sided final. It was a very different performance from Zidane in the 2006 final where he was sent from the field after the infamous head butting incident in his last ever football match.
The French were in the very first World Cup and it was a long time before they made it to the finals again, that came in the 1982 World Cup where they gained a creditable 4th place finish. In the 1986 World Cup they went one better coming 3rd so they are experienced in the latter stages of the tournament so can never be ruled out.
France were very poor in qualification for the 2010 World cup having to go to a play-off with the Republic of Ireland which would go onto become one of the most controversial World Cup games of all time. Deep into extra time with the Irish having played the better at the Stade De France, Thierry Henry performed what looked like to everyone a blatant handball to set up a goal for William Gallas, the referee awarded the goal to the dismay of the Irish and millions of fans and France had secured their place in South Africa.
In South Africa France experienced a whirlwind controversy when the players decided to boycott training. They were never at their best and were sent home early, failing to qualify from their group.
Current Form and Chances
France just edged out Bosnia and Herzegovina to qualify automatically for Euro 2012. They will be relieved to have avoided the play-offs and can now focus their attention on the tournament in Ukraine and Poland next sumer.
France have been drawn in Euro Group I in the qualification process for the 2014 World Cup. The group is arguably the most eye-watering of the nine as it includes both France and the defending European and World Cup holders Spain, as well as Belarus, Georgia and Finland.
