France vs Australia 2022: what TV channel is World Cup match on, UK kick off time, live stream info, team news

Defending World Cup champions France begin their Qatar 2022 journey against Australia.

Didier Deschamps’ side are blessed with an abundance of talent consisting of the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Kingsley Coman. They are hotly tipped for success in Qatar 2022 and are aiming to become the first side in 60 years to win two consecutive World Cup titles.

France will be aiming to progress from a group consisting of Australia, Denmark and Tunisia. They will enter the World Cup as favourites to top the group and will be hoping to shake off the curse of the previous three champions Germany, Spain and Italy who all went out in the group stage four years after their World Cup triumph.

Australia enter the game as underdogs and will be searching for their first World Cup victory in 12 years. The Socceroos last progressed from the group stage of the World Cup in 2006 but possess the likes of Mat Ryan and Aaron Mooy in their 2022 squad assembled by Graham Arnold.

France vs Australia is billed as being one of the games of the day for World Cup watchers so here’s all you need to know about which TV channel will be showing the match, UK kick off time and the all important team news. Here is everything you need to know.

When is France vs Australia?

France will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia on Tuesday 22 November. The two teams last met in the opening game of the previous World Cup as France ran out 2-1 winners in Kazan, Russia.

How to watch France vs Australia

BBC 1 will provide comprehensive coverage of the game between France and Australia. Build up to the game will begin at 6:30 pm (UK time) and the game will kick off at 7pm. You can also live stream the action from the BBC iPlayer and from the BBC Sport app which is available for you to use on your mobile or tablet device.

What is the venue for France vs Australia?

France vs Australia will take place at Al-Wakrah Sports Complex. The stadium is located in Al Wakrah around 22km south of the capital Doha. The venue holds 40,000 fans and will host seven matches during the tournament in Qatar.

Road to the tournament

France were one of the first countries to secure their place at this year’s tournament in Qatar and they did so in a comprehensive fashion. Les Bleus comfortably topped their qualification group ahead of the likes of Ukraine, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kazakhstan. Didier Deschamps’ side were unbeaten throughout their qualification campaign.

Australia failed to excel during their qualification campaign and won just four of their 10 qualifying games in a group consisting of Saudi Arabia, Japan, Oman, China and Vietnam. Australia finished third in their group and were comfortably behind Saudi Arabia and Japan.

The Socceroos were ultimately one of the last teams to secure their place at Qatar 2022 and they did so with a narrow penalty shoot out victory over South American side Peru in the World Cup play-offs.

What to expect from France vs Australia

Didier Deschamps’ side will head into the game against Australia as clear favourites to win. They have an array of exciting attacking options including the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Oliver Giroud and Kingsley Coman. France are also blessed with depth in nearly all areas of the field and have a variety of different options to call upon.

Graham Arnold’s Australia side are clear underdogs for this game. Experienced players such as former Huddersfield midfielder Aaron Mooy and former Brighton goalkeeper Matt Ryan are likely to play a crucial role if they are to progress to the knockout stage. Meanwhile Newcastle’s new signing Garang Kuol will be hoping to make an impression at this year’s tournament. The 18-year-old is hotly tipped to an Australian star in years to come.

Team news for France vs Australia

France manager Didier Deschamps has had to contend with a series of setbacks in the build up to the tournament with the likes of Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, N’golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Presnel Kimpembe all missing from the squad due to injury.

However, despite these absences Deschamps is confident his team have the sufficient quality to go far in the tournament. Descamps said: “I’ve got 25 players in my squad. I’m convinced that I have the efficient number of players to be able to deal with the challenges we face.”

Australia have had to contend with a few injuries themselves in the build up to the game and it is likely they will be without winger Martin Boyle who has a knee issue. Meanwhile defender Harry Souttar and Ajdin Hrustic will have late fitness tests before the game.