France head coach Didier Deschamps has named his 25-player squad for the upcoming 2022 World Cup, with Olivier Giroud and Raphael Varane earning call-ups to the national team.

Deschamps chose 25 of the possible 26 players for the tournament in Qatar, where France will try to become the first team to defend its World Cup title since Brazil in 1962.

Eleven players from the team that won the title last year are back. This includes captain Hugo Lloris, backup goalkeeper Steve Mandanda, Kylian Mbappe, and Antoine Griezmann.

Karim Benzema, who won the Ballon d’Or, has been hurt and has missed a few games for Real Madrid this season. He is set to play in the World Cup for the first time since 2014.

Because of a blackmail scandal involving a sextape and his international teammate Mathieu Valbuena, Benzema was banned from the France team for five and a half years.

He was found guilty for his part in that situation last year, but by then he had already returned to the France team and played at Euro 2020 and on the team that won the UEFA Nations League.

Giroud needs two more goals to tie Thierry Henry’s national record of 51, but Benzema’s return has made it easy to forget about him.

The forward who used to play for Arsenal and Chelsea and now plays for AC Milan would be France’s oldest player on the field at a World Cup.

“You know tonight, I made some people unhappy. I am well aware of that,” Deschamps told TF1.

“I made 25 players happy, but they will… all want to be in the starting 11. But it won’t be possible, but it’s the strength of the group that will be more important.”

Presnel Kimpembe of Paris Saint-Germain was chosen despite thigh and Achilles problems that have limited him to five appearances since the beginning of September.

Varane will have been out for a month by the time France takes on Australia in their World Cup opener on November 22.

“The two cases are different,” said Deschamps. “Kimpembe has had a little worry but he’ll be available for his club for the last league match on Sunday.

“Varane has a longer-term injury but he too could be available against Australia if everything goes well.”

With William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde, and Ibrahima Konate in the squad, Deschamps has plenty of options in central defense. Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez are also options.

Mandanda, 37, replaced AC Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who is out with a calf injury.

France is missing first-choice midfielders Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante, so Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot are the likely starters.

They will be joined by Youssouf Fofana of Monaco, Eduardo Camavinga of Real Madrid, and Jordan Veretout and Matteo Guendouzi of Marseille.

Here is France’s Full squad:

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG), Steve Mandanda (Rennes/FRA), Alphonse Areola (West Ham United/ENG)

Defenders: Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich/GER), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan/ITA), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool/ENG), Jules Kounde (Barcelona/ESP), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich/GER), William Saliba (Arsenal/ENG), Raphael Varane (Manchester United/ENG), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/GER)

Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid/ESP), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Matteo Guendouzi (Marseille), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus/ITA), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid/ESP), Jordan Veretout (Marseille)

Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ESP), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich/GER), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona/ESP), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan/ITA), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig/GER)

Photo by EPA/FRANCK FIFE / POOL MAXPPP OUT