The wait is over, and France, who have had two years to fine-tune a formula for their home tournament, will be expected to make a concerted assault on the trophy. On paper, the path to the semifinals should not be too testing; anything less would be a major disappointment.

How they qualified:

Host nation

France qualified automatically as the host nation but, for the first time, were placed as a "ghost" team in one of the groups. This meant they played home and away friendlies against all the sides in Group I. Two wins over Portugal were notable, but a draw and defeat versus Albania blotted the copybook.

How they'll proceed:

Advance from Group A Based on 1/33 odds (source: Sky Bet) Win the tournament Based on 100/30 odds (source: Sky Bet)

The last four should be a given, even with doubts over the availability of star striker Karim Benzema. France will come close to emulating their titles of 1984 and 2000 but will fall just short.

Predicted lineup:

GK: Hugo Lloris; D: Bacary Sagna, Eliaquim Mangala, Laurent Koscielny, Patrice Evra; M: Moussa Sissoko, Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi; F: Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Anthony Martial.

Key player: Anthony Martial There are echoes of 1998, when 20-year-old Thierry Henry impressed as France clinched a stunning home triumph. Martial, who featured prominently in recent friendlies, has the element of surprise that could decide big games. Manager: Didier Deschamps The 47-year-old replaced Laurent Blanc after Euro 2012. Chances of success look promising after a respectable World Cup showing that ended in the last eight, and France look comfortable playing in the 4-3-3 system he favours.

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