World champions France kick off the campaign to defend their European Nations League title when they face their guest, Denmark, in the first round of Group A on Friday in rehearsal for their 2022 World Cup clash.

After meeting Denmark, the Blues will beat Croatia and then Austria on the 6th and 10th of this month before hosting Croatia on the 13th in the first tier.

As coach Didier Deschamps’ men prepare to defend their World Cup title, they also have the challenge of defending their Nations League title after winning their second title last October by beating Spain 2-1 in the final at the San Siro in Milan.

Veteran striker Karim Benzema, the most prominent candidate for the Ballon d’Or of the best player in the world for the first time in his career, will be under the microscope and the eyes of critics, in particular, his attacking partnership with Kylian Mbappé. the explosive Paris Saint-Germain star who opted to stay at the Parisian club until 2025 after turning down an offer from Spanish Real Madrid.

Benzema returned to group exercises on Wednesday after winning the Champions League and he can compete alongside Mbappé knowing they have scored 14 of France’s 26 goals this season.

This will be the 17th confrontation between the two teams, as France have won 8, Denmark 6 and drawn twice.

Significantly, the two teams will face each other in the World Cup next Saturday, November 26 at the 974 Stadium in Doha, after being placed in the same group for the 2022 World Cup alongside Tunisia and the winner between Peru and Australia/UAE. .

The match will take place at the Stade de France in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis, where there was great chaos between Liverpool and Real Madrid last Saturday before the start of the Champions League final, leading to political repercussions between France and England. .

In the same group, Croatia, which finished second to France at the 2018 World Cup, will host Austria in Osijek.

Unlike Austria, who were eliminated from the semi-finals of the continental play-off against Wales, Croatia compete in the World Cup final in the same group with Belgium, Canada and Morocco.

In the fourth group of the first level, a heated confrontation unfolded between Belgium and its guests from the Netherlands. The group witnessed Poland’s 2-1 victory over Wales on Wednesday.

Belgium misses goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, the star of the Champions League final when he thwarted Liverpool’s attack in Paris, with a pitting injury that will keep him out of his next four matches for the Red Devils.