As Didier Deschamps prepares to announce his 26-man squad for this summer's FIFA World Cup tonight, all eyes are on the French manager who is stepping down after the tournament. With ambitions to secure a third consecutive World Cup final appearance—and improve on their penalty shootout loss to Argentina in 2022—Deschamps has admitted he still has "two or three" decisions to make. While the core squad is largely set, a few outside contenders could shake things up. Here are five players who might just earn a surprise call-up.

Full-back has become a headache for France in recent months. Despite producing a wealth of elite center-backs, Deschamps has lamented the lack of depth at full-back. At right-back, Jules Koundé has settled into the role despite initial hesitation, though his form with Barcelona has been inconsistent this season. On the left, Aston Villa's Lucas Digne has emerged as the first-choice pick, while the Hernández brothers—Lucas and Théo—are expected to be in contention, even with Théo's recent move to Saudi Arabia and Lucas's limited game time at Paris Saint-Germain.

One name that deserves serious consideration is RC Lens' Matthieu Udol. Unlike Lucas Hernández, who has struggled for minutes at PSG, Udol has been a workhorse, featuring in 37 matches across all competitions and on track to play every Ligue 1 game for Lens this season. His performances have been stellar, with nine assists and two goals to his name. At 30, he's not a long-term prospect, but as arguably the best left-back in Ligue 1 this season, his current form is hard to ignore.

However, Udol—like others on this list—may not hold out much hope when Deschamps names his squad tonight. The reason is simple, as France's assistant manager Stéphane Guy recently explained: "I don't think that any player not previously selected will go to the World Cup this summer." While Corentin Tolisso hasn't played for France since 2021, his history within the setup could still give him an edge. For the rest, it's a long shot—but in football, surprises are always possible.