French national team: Karim Benzema to return? The FFF president responds

Karim Benzema

An explosive comeback for Karim Benzema in the French national team for the 2026 World Cup? The president of the French Football Federation shared his thoughts on the matter yesterday.Could Karim Benzema really make a sensational second return to Les Bleus? The idea seems far-fetched with just over five months to go before Didier Deschamps announces his squad for the 2026 World Cup. Yet, Benzema stunned everyone earlier this week in a lengthy interview with L'Equipe, dropping this bombshell about the national team: "If they call me, I'll come."

The topic was already raised yesterday morning during Philippe Diallo's press conference. The event was organized for the general assembly of the French Football Federation in Paris. Asked about Benzema’s unexpected statement, the FFF president was keen to put things in perspective, while underlining the player’s immense impact on modern football. "Karim Benzema is a Ballon d'Or winner. He has been one of the world’s top players. When he says he could be available, I think it puts to rest some of the comments about his relationship with the French team, and it confirms the appeal of the French national side, since everyone wants to be part of it," explained the head of French football.

🆕 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗗𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗭𝗘𝗠𝗔 𝗘𝗡 𝗘𝗗𝗙 ? 𝗟𝗔 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗘 𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗣𝗣𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗢

🎙️ Philippe Diallo (FFF) se dit favorable à un éventuel retour de Karim Benzema en équipe de France, après les déclarations du Ballon d’Or, ouvert à l’idée de viser le… pic.twitter.com/1Vt08a5Pde

— 𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 (@GonebackOff) December 13, 2025

Philippe Diallo went on to recall the unchanging rules that govern the formation of a World Cup squad. "After that, there will be 26 spots and a manager who will make his choices. But I am delighted that a great player like Karim Benzema wants to return to the French national team and play in a World Cup, which seems entirely legitimate from a player’s perspective," he added.