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Liverpool's Konaté to Lead France in World Cup Qualifier Against Azerbaijan
16 Nov, 2025
Summary
- Ibrahima Konaté, Liverpool centre-back, to captain France against Azerbaijan
- France qualified for 2026 World Cup after 4-0 win over Ukraine last week
- Deschamps to heavily rotate squad for today's "dead rubber" match
On November 16, 2025, Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konaté will be handed the captain's armband for France's World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan in Baku. This comes after France booked their place in the 2026 World Cup last week with a 4-0 home win over Ukraine, cementing their position at the top of Group D.
With the group already won, France manager Didier Deschamps has confirmed he will heavily rotate his squad for the match against the group's bottom-placed team. This means key players like Kylian Mbappé have already left the France camp, while Mike Maignan will be replaced by a PSG goalkeeper between the sticks.
In the absence of the regular starters, Konaté will be tasked with leading the French defense, expected to partner PSG's Lucas Hernandez at the back. The Liverpool defender's promotion to captain is a testament to his growing influence within the national team setup.
