With French legends such as Marcel Desailly and Zinedine Zidane having come from families of African descent, here are 11 current France internationals of African heritage who could represent Les Bleus at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Veteran goalkeeper Steve Mandanda could have played for Congo as he was born in the country's capital, Kinshasa. The 33 - year - old made his debut for France in May 2008, and has since appeared 26 times for Les Bleus.
Paris Saint - Germain's Presnel Kimpembe was named in France's most recent squad, but has not yet featured for the team. Like Mandanda, the defender is of Congolese descent and can technically still play for the African country, although that seems unlikely.
Defender Samuel Umtiti was born in Cameroon in 1993, but has lived in France from a young age, while Djibril Sidibe and N'Golo Kante both have Malian descent.
Under - fire Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is of Guinean heritage. The 25 - year - old was born in France, however, and is a regular fixture in the side under manager Didier Deschamps.
One of France's newer stars, Corentin Tolisso, comes from a Togolese background, while his midfield colleague Blaise Matuidi has Angolan heritage.
Nineteen - year - old sensation Kylian Mbappe qualified to play for Cameroon before he made his debut for France last year.
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