Former MVV midfielder and Nigeria Olympic-winning coach Johannes-Franciscus Bonfrère, popularly referred to as Jo Bonfrere, has tipped France to reach the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.
Didier Deschamps team have been in good form since the start of the Copa Mundial, winning all of their five games, scoring 14 goals and conceding just two goals, keeping three clean sheets.
France's captain, Kylian Mbappe, is vying for the Golden Boot award with Norway's Erling Haaland and Argentina's Lionel Messi, with all three on seven goals each.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich's Michael Olise tops other creators, leading the assists charts (5).
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Ex-Super Eagles coach explains why France are World Cup favourites
Bonfrere weighed in on France's round of 16 victory over Paraguay. Kylian Mbappe's 70th-minute penalty separated both sides, but the Paraguayans constantly fouled the French players.
The 80-year-old called out the Uzbekistan referee in charge of the game, Ilgiz Tantashev, claiming his officiating in that game was well below standards.
“I’ve been watching the World Cup 2026 matches on my television. Last night (Saturday), I watched the France-Paraguay game,” the former Super Eagles coach said in quotes revealed by Complete Sports.
“The referee didn’t do well in the match, but I think France’s strength lies more in the individual qualities of their players, especially Dembele and Mbappe.
“And I think this is good for them and, with other good players in the team, yes, they will be difficult for other teams to play against.”
Quizzed about how far France can go, especially with the abilities of Mbappe and Dembele, the AFCON 2000 silver medallist said:
“It is possible, yes, that France will meet Spain or Argentina in the final.
“It will be a very good final. Spain have team unity, and Argentina too. So it will be a strong final, but I think Dembele and Mbappe will prove difficult to contain.”
Bonfrere likened the current French team to Nigeria's Olympic-winning team, claiming the individual skills of the players are being properly harnessed under Deschamps.
“Nigeria had plenty of talent. We built a team that was collective and cohesive in its play.
“The players fought for every ball and fought for one another. Yes, they had individual skills, but they played together.
“That was how we won the 1996 Olympic men’s football gold medal and the silver medal at the 2000 AFCON. It was a fantastic period.”
With only two African teams left at the FIFA World Cup, the former Qatar coach believes the entire continent should rally behind Morocco, because they have the possibility of going the furthest.
“Morocco finished fourth at the 2022 World Cup. Now they are in the Round of 16, together with Egypt. It’s good, but with the Super Eagles not at the World Cup, Africa can look up to Morocco.
“Morocco did well in the last tournament and they are expected to do even more. Egypt, with Mohamed Salah, are also a good side and can go further in the tournament,” Bonfrere concluded.
France will play against Morocco on Thursday at the Boston Stadium in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
