The French national team is one of the strongest teams in the world and the main favorite of our group. Nevertheless, our team must continue to fight until the last moment.
These words were said in an interview with AZERTAC by Arif Asadov, former coach of the Azerbaijani national team, who works as an instructor at UEFA coaching courses held in Baku, while talking about the match that our team will play with France today in the qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.
He said that the away match will be a difficult test for our team: "We would like our team to return home with a point. But considering the reality, it does not seem easy. But football is full of surprises. Everything is possible. Our team showed very good determination in the last match against Ukraine (1:1). Our players took the field with national spirit and high motivation. We would like to see the same approach in the match against France. Even if we lose, the main thing is that we can say that we did our best on the field. It would be more correct to approach the match with this thought".
Asadov also emphasized that the new head coach Aykhan Abbasov has spent more time with the team and knows the potential of the players well: "In the first game, he was with the players for a short time. This time, several trainings have been held and it is already known with what tactical scheme the team will take the field. Aykhan Abbasov knows the potential of the players better. Of course, it is not realistic to expect dominant football against France. We will think more about defending. I hope that we will see a fighting national team in this match".
It should be noted that the France-Azerbaijan match, which will be held at the "Parc des Princes" stadium, will start at 22:45 Baku time.