Maghnes Akliouche has been called up to the French national team, as Didier Deschamps announced his squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland.
Akliouche, who has made 20 appearances for the under-21s, will be experiencing professional football at international level for the first time in his career.
The 23-year-old, named AS Monaco’s Player of the Season at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, kicked off his 2025-26 Ligue 1 run with a goal against AJ Auxerre.
“Maghnes Akliouche is more of a winger. He had a good season with Monaco, he can still improve in terms of efficiency but he does interesting things,” explained the French head coach. The Tremblay-en-France native scored seven goals and provided 12 assists in 43 appearances in all competitions last season.
Liverpool‘s new striker Hugo Ekitike however, has not been included in Deschamps’ list for the upcoming matches.
“We were already following him in Frankfurt. Good for him. It’s great that he’s effective, but there’s competition,’ Deschamps explained. ‘I’m not going to accumulate players, but he has potential for the French team.”
Having arrived on the banks of the Mersey this summer, the former PSG player has already scored three goals in three appearances for the reigning English champions.
Among the other names to note on this list is Adrien Rabiot. While his future at OM remains uncertain following his altercation with teammate Jonathan Rowe, the 30-year-old midfielder seems to retain the full confidence of his manager, who has indicated that “his situation will be clear” before the summer transfer window closes on Monday.
William Saliba, Jules Koundé and Dayot Upamecano, all three injured during the last international reunion, are making their return to Les Bleus.
France squad in full
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Lucas Chevalier (Paris Saint-Germain), Brice Samba (Rennes)
Defenders: Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool), Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), William Saliba (Arsenal), Jules Koundé (FC Barcelona), Lucas Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain), Theo Hernandez (Al-Hilal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
Midfielders: Adrien Rabiot (Olympique de Marseille), Khéphren Thuram (Juventus), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Manu Koné (AS Roma), Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain)
Forwards: Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Maghnes Akliouche (AS Monaco)
