World Cup 2026: Jules Koundé says France fully deserved perfect group stage finish

France defender Jules Koundé believes Les Bleus earned their place at the top of Group I after completing a flawless group-stage campaign with three wins from three matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Barcelona defender reflected on France’s impressive start to the tournament after helping his side secure a 4-1 victory over Norway in their final group fixture, a result that ensured Didier Deschamps’ team advanced to the Round of 32 with a maximum nine points.

Having featured in all three group matches, Koundé said France’s dominance throughout the opening phase justified their first-place finish.

Speaking to the French Football Federation (FFF) media after the victory, the 27-year-old praised the team’s consistency while expressing satisfaction with their performances.

France complete perfect group stage campaign

Les Bleus progressed to the knockout stage after winning each of their three matches in Group I.

Three victories secure top spot

France finished the group stage with nine points, maintaining a perfect record to comfortably secure first place.

The team’s final match ended in a convincing 4-1 victory over Norway, completing an unbeaten opening phase and extending France’s strong start to the tournament.

Koundé started the match and played his part in another commanding team display as France continued to build momentum ahead of the knockout rounds.

The defender has now featured in every group-stage match at this year’s World Cup, reinforcing his importance within the French squad.

Koundé praises France’s consistency

Following qualification, Koundé said the team had achieved exactly what it had set out to accomplish.

Defender says Les Bleus were dominant

Speaking in a video published by the French Football Federation, Koundé said France deserved to finish top of the group after consistently outperforming their opponents.

“Nine points out of nine is good, anyway when you play it’s to win. We’re happy with that, we knew we had the means to achieve this performance, but it was another thing to do it. Even overall over the three matches, we were quite dominant, and we thoroughly deserved to finish first,” the French defender said in a video released by the FFF.

His comments reflected the confidence within the France camp after a group stage in which the team collected maximum points.

Second World Cup continues for Barcelona defender

The 2026 tournament marks Koundé’s second FIFA World Cup with the French national team.

Experienced defender adds to World Cup record

After making his World Cup debut at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, Koundé has continued to establish himself as one of France’s key defenders.

The former Bordeaux player has now played nine World Cup matches, including six appearances during the 2022 edition and all three group-stage fixtures at the 2026 tournament.

His growing experience has made him an important member of the French squad as Les Bleus pursue another deep run at the World Cup.

With a perfect group-stage record behind them, France will now turn their attention to the knockout rounds, where Koundé and his teammates will attempt to maintain the form that carried them to the top of Group I.

The defender’s assessment summed up the mood within the squad: France not only achieved qualification but also believed their performances over the three matches fully justified finishing first in the group.