Paris Saint-Germain brought the curtain down on their 2025/26 season in perfect fashion when they beat Arsenal to claim the UEFA Champions League for the second straight year in Budapest. The Parisians had to show their resolve after falling behind after just six minutes through Kai Havertz’s powerful strike, and they would hit back through Ousmane Dembele’s second-half penalty. Then, the lottery that is a penalty shootout would decide the ‘Big-Eared’ trophy’s fate, and misses from both Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhães ensured that the silverware would reside at the Parc des Princes once again.
But there is no rest for PSG’s biggest stars. The French club will see a whopping 16 players head to this summer’s World Cup, the third most of any team on the planet behind Manchester City (19) and Bayern Munich (18). But which national team will have the largest Parisian contingent in their squad? Let’s take a look.
France
France have reached the last two World Cup finals, and this summer, they will be aiming to reach a record-equalling third on the spin. Didier Deschamps’ side won the first of them on that rainy afternoon in Moscow in 2018, before losing the second four years later at the hands of Lionel Messi and Argentina, who simply wouldn’t be denied. Now, the manager leads Les Bleus out on the grandest stage for the fourth and final time, with the long-serving boss having confirmed that he will leave his post at the culmination of this summer’s tournament.
Online betting sites certainly think that success is possible. The popular Lucky Rebel lists Les Bleus as a 5/1 second-favorite, with only reigning European Champions Spain ahead of them in the betting charts.
In his quest to reach a third straight final, Deschamps has turned to the best team in France and indeed Europe to bolster the ranks, selecting a record five Paris Saint-Germain players in his squad. The jewel in the Parisian crown is without question reigning Ballon d’Or holder Dembele, who will look to take his blistering domestic form to the national team set up. He will likely be joined by club teammate Désiré Doué in the starting lineup, with the pair of them starting either side of former Parisian Kylian Mbappé.
A trio of PSG stars are also a part of the squad as rotation options. Lucas Hernandez provides defensive steel at either left or center back, while Bradley Barcola could be a menacing option in attack, coming off the bench against tiring defenses. Warren Zaïre-Emery will also be looking to claim a starting berth in central midfield in the absence of the out-of-form Eduardo Camavinga.
If France is to reach a third straight final, though, they will have to do it the hard way. They have been drawn into arguably the hardest group at the World Cup alongside Erling Haaland’s Norway and recent AFCON finalists Senegal. Should Deschamps’ side top the group, then a last 16 clash with neighbors Germany could lie in wait, before a quarterfinal against the Netherlands and a semifinal against frontrunners Spain. Luckily, their quintet of Parisian stars knows exactly what it takes to win.
Portugal
The upcoming tournament will be a special one for Portugal, and specifically, a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. The legendary striker will embark upon his last dance this summer, with the 2026 World Cup likely to be his last at the ripe old age of 41. And how both he and his teammates would love to give him the perfect send-off.
Four Parisians will be looking to aid CR7 in his quest for greatness. In central midfield, both Joao Neves and Vitinha are likely to start, with Manchester United’s newly minted Premier League assists record holder, Bruno Fernandes, just ahead of them. Nuno Mendes will start at left back, while the striker Gonçalo Ramos will have an important role to play in supporting Ronaldo and could see plenty of minutes should the veteran goalscorer need to preserve his legs.
Portugal has never won the World Cup, either with Ronaldo or without. The closest they came with him in the squad came in his debut 20 years ago, beating both the Netherlands and England en route to the semi-finals, where they were dispatched by France. Since then, there has been one disappointment after another, culminating with that quarterfinal defeat to upstarts Morocco in Qatar four years ago, and if CR7 wishes to go down in history as the greatest to ever do it, he knows that he has to hoist the famous gold trophy in MetLife Stadium on July 19th.
Like France, the bookies certainly think victory is possible, albeit somewhat less likely than a Les Bleus triumph. Portugal are currently a 9/1 shot to go all the way, behind each of Spain, France, England, and Brazil. They are level in the betting charts with defending champions Argentina, and a clash between Messi’s men and Ronaldo’s Portugal looks likely to take place in the quarterfinals.
