World Cup: France

France (Group C)

FIFA World Ranking: 17

Players to Watch: Zinedine Zidane (M), Stephane Guivarc'h (F), Youri Djorkaeff (F)

Prospects: Host nation France has high hopes going into the Cup finals. Playing on home fields throughout the tournament gives the French a unique advantage. Their strength is a superb midfield, led by Zinedine Zidane. However, they have had their problems putting the ball in the net. But they have slowly come to realize that they must be more aggressive on offense in order to win and perhaps their scoring will increase a bit. They will win Group C and advance deep into the tournament.

First Round opponents: South Africa (6/12), Saudi Arabia (6/18), Denmark (6/24)