France is sitting pretty in Russia now, but the road to Moscow started bumpy by opening World Cup qualifying with a scoreless draw against Belarus in September 2016. The French looked out of sorts defensively at times and Olivier Giroud hit the crossbar while Antoine Griezmann was stymied on a pair of occasions. France, however, bounced back with a 4-1 victory over Bulgaria and a 1-0 win against the Netherlands.

Down 1-0 to Sweden in their fourth qualifier, Dimitri Payet took over for Les Bleus. Payet, who was kept off the roster for Russia due to injury, set up Paul Pogba for the equalizer in the 58th minute then scored the go-ahead goal on 65 minutes that would give France a 2-1 win. The Swedes got even in June 2017 with their own 2-1 victory that was France's only loss in qualification.  

Having already beat the Dutch in October 2016, France dumped the Netherlands in more resounding fashion, 4-0, in August 2017. Goals by Griezmann, wonder-kid Kylian Mbappe and two from Thomas Lemar were more than enough to help France to victory and leave the Dutch in a qualifying hole they would never dig out from.

Facing Luxembourg, the French looked nothing like they did in whipping the Netherlands in one match earlier. Luxembourg frustrated France's forwards throughout the contest and almost slipped one by Deschamps' side before settling for a scoreless tie. 

A little more than a year after drawing Belarus to open qualifying, France got goals from Griezmann and Giroud for a 2-1 victory at Stade de France in October 2017 that punched its ticket to a sixth consecutive World Cup. The French finished qualifying with seven victories, two ties and a loss.

In their final friendly days before the World Cup, France had to come back to draw the United States 1-1. The result was more positive for the Americans, who fielded a young lineup of their own that they hope will get them back to the World Cup in 2022. France's own young star, 19-year-old Mbappé, tied the match in the 78th minute.

It can be argued that France's toughest test in Russia was the 2-1 win over Australia to open Group C play. The French benefited from the first-ever Video Assisted Review (VAR) call that awarded them a penalty which Griezmann converted in the 58th minute. The Aussies equalized with a penalty of their own four minutes later, but an own goal in the 81st allowed the French to prevail.

The French forward made a LeBron James-like announcement to say he's staying with Atletico Madrid right before his team's World Cup opener, and then backed up the hype by coming through against Australia. With three goals and two assists in the tournament, Griezmann has been very active and pretty consistent while Mbappé takes over the spotlight.

Posting the match's only goal in the 34th minute, Mbappé became the youngest French player to score at a World Cup at 19 years, 183 days old. However, it was France's stifling defense that allowed it to clinch a spot in the last-16 and eliminate Peru from the tournament with the 1-0 victory.

Mbappé is the poster boy for France's youth movement while tied for the second-youngest team in the tournament. Blessed with remarkable speed, the Paris native, who broke out by scoring 16 goals in 41 games with Monaco before joining Paris Saint-German, has three goals at this World Cup. He's drawn comparison to a certain Brazilian striker who made his World Cup debut at 17 in 1958; however, Mbappé still has a ways to go to catch Pelé. 

Already slated for the knockout round, France's scoreless draw against Denmark gave it a group victory and the Danes a spot in the last-16 as well. Keeper Hugo Lloris, Pogba and Mbappé were among the regulars not part of the starting XI for France, who put forth a rather uninspired effort.

Trailing 2-1 early in the knockout round against a rejuvenated Argentina team, Les Bleus' mettle was about to be tested. And they passed. Benjamin Pavard's highlight reel goal tied things in the 57th minute before Mbappé scored twice over a four-minute span to put the French in control. Sergio Aguero pulled one back in extra time for Argentina, but France held on for a 4-3 victory.

France caught a major break with Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani out due to injury in this quarterfinal contest. Raphael Varane headed home the first goal and Griezmann capitalized on a Uruguay mistake to make it 2-0, which stood as the final. Backed by Lloris' solid play in goal and an overall clinical performance, France reached their first World Cup semifinal since 2006.

France completely frustrated a Belgium side that had scored a tournament-best 14 goals in its 1-0 victory in the semifinals. Samuel Umtiti's header in the 51st minute was the difference, but it was France's sturdy defense, especially in the second half, that was the tale of the contest. France held Belgium to nine total shots while recording 19 of its own en route to its third final over the last six World Cups.

N'Golo Kanté doesn't score many goals or provide many assists, but the midfielder doesn't allow the opposition's best to make things happen. He did it for 2015-16 Premier League champs Leicester City and currently for Chelsea and continues to do it for perhaps the best defensive team in the World Cup. In the semifinal win over Belgium, Kanté was a big reason the Red Devils and the likes of Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne were blanked. He was good on 93 percent of his passes in that match while touching the ball 50 times. 

Tottenham Hotspur product Lloris enters the final off back-to-back clean sheets after making seven saves against Uruguay and Belgium. He seemed to use almost every bit of his 6-foot-2 frame against the Belgians, extending his body and sprawling out to keep the ball out of the net. Lloris could be the difference in whether France wins another World Cup or not.

Pogba doesn't have a goal or an assist at this year's tournament, but France might not be in the World Cup final without the Manchester United midfielder. On a team with forward-thinking stars like Griezmann and Mbappé, the versatile Pogba has been a key fixture clogging up the midfield and a beast defending set pieces. His overall defensive play frustrated Belgium in the semifinals. Perhaps he will be rewarded with a goal in the final, but lifting the World Cup trophy might have to suffice.

Owner of 31 international goals for the French, Giroud has not scored in Russia but his teammates have obviously managed to get by minus his lack of production. Though Giroud might be battling with some self-confidence, he's still in the good graces of Deschamps, and was quite active against Belgium while producing a host of chances. Maybe that first goal will come when it matters most?

The captain of the France's 1998 World Cup-winning team, Deschamps has a chance to become the third individual to win the tournament as a player and manager. His 11 World Cup games in charge of France are a national record. He recorded 103 caps as a national team midfielder with a focus on defense, and that's the type of team that's thrived in Russia. He selected a group that he felt would work well together and could check their egos at the door. Safe to say, Deschamps picked the right guys.

Despite its youth, France reaching the final is hardly a surprise. The French are among the best tactical teams in the tournament, and their overall balance and unselfish play got them to this point. That's something fellow favorites Germany, Brazil or Spain were unable to put together. A second World Cup title might not be as sweet as the first, but will be celebrated by its citizens with the same passion while restoring its place atop the international soccer world.