Benzema has made himself available for France for the World Cup

Karim Benzema has reignited one of the most intriguing threads of his remarkable career by confirming he remains open to representing France at the 2026 World Cup, despite a fraught international history that has long fueled speculation his time with Les Bleus was finished. As Didier Deschamps’ squad prepares to chase glory in North America, led by the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Benzema has signaled he could once again contribute to France’s quest for the title.

The striker’s World Cup experience is limited — just the 2014 edition in Brazil. He was overlooked by Raymond Domenech in 2010 and remained absent during France’s victorious 2018 campaign, sidelined by the fallout from the Mathieu Valbuena sex tape scandal. When recalled by Deschamps in 2021, his return was fleeting.

In Qatar 2022, a first-session injury cut his participation short, and he departed under circumstances that raised eyebrows. Though he never officially retired, his absence since then has led many to assume the national team door was quietly closed.

Speaking to L’Equipe, Benzema dispelled those notions, insisting that his decisions are driven by football, not politics: "I’m a football player. So, I play football. When they call me, I come, I play," he said. "I have goals in my head. I love football and I love winning. I like trophies. That’s what matters most to me. There, I am in my club. If I am called to the national team, I come to play football. And it stops there."

The idea of turning down a World Cup remains alien to him.

"It’s not a story of no longer wanting to come back to the French team," he added. "But we have to ask ourselves the question: what am I coming to do with the French team? We are talking about a World Cup. Obviously, these are not things where you have to say: 'No, I don’t want to.' Because it’s a lie to say: 'No, I don’t want to play in a World Cup'."

While his national-team future hangs in the balance, so does his club situation. Benzema left Real Madrid for Al-Ittihad in Jeddah in the summer of 2023, joining an ambitious three-year project. His impact has been immediate.

Last season, he led the Saudi Pro League side to a domestic double — the league title and the King’s Cup — scoring 25 goals across all competitions and cementing himself as a key figure in the league’s international profile. His output mirrors the form he showed in his final years at the Bernabeu, highlighting both his fitness and enduring quality.

With only six months left on his contract, speculation about his next move is growing.

"I’m really focused on what I’m doing, whether it’s for these last six months or for after if I extend my contract," Benzema said. "Some people are better placed to talk about all that. Right now, I have six months left on my contract, so I’m completely focused on football."