Any soccer (or, rather, football) fans out there are surely aware of the important games that are occurring now. It is, of course, the World Cup (La Coupe du Monde), which occurs only once every four years. Unfortunately for American fans, the United States did not make it through qualifications. But, you can always still root (encourager or soutenir) for the French national team!

Courtesy of Pixabay.

France is currently in “Group C,” which consists of France, Denmark, Peru, and Australia. Only the top two teams in the group will advance to the round of sixteen, which precedes the quarterfinals. So far, France has been matched with (and won against!) Australia and Peru. They are facing Denmark tomorrow, June 26. France currently stands in first place in their group, followed by Denmark.

Hugo Lloris is the goalkeeper (le gardien) and caption of the French national team (known familiarly in France as les Bleus). Other famous players on the team are Paul Pogba and Oliver Giroud. The coach (l’entraineur) is Didier Deschamps.

Here is a list of countries that are already qualified for the round of sixteen: Russie, Uruguay, France, Croatie, Belgique, Angleterre

And these are the countries that are already eliminated: Egypte, Maroc, Arabie Saoudite, Pérou, Costa Rica, Tunisie, Panama, Pologne

Here are some other useful vocabulary words you can use to discuss la Coupe du monde en français:

soccer—le football (le foot)

a team—une équipe

a player—un joueur

the referee—l’arbitre

game—le match

soccer ball—le ballon de football (le ballon)

stadium—le stade

red card—la carte rouge

yellow card—la carte jaune

a tie game—un match nul

to score—marquer

to shoot—tirer

cleats—les crampons