France welcome Kazakhstan to Parc des Princes on Saturday knowing that a win will see them book their place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Les Bleus, fresh from their UEFA Nations League success in Italy, lead Group D by three points with one more victory putting them out of sight for Ukraine and Finland who will likely scrap it out for second unless Didier Deschamps' men slip up.
In a quirky twist, the French could stamp their ticket for Qatar next year at the home of Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain with travel link work prohibiting the use of Stade de France this time.
Here is how you can watch the match and what to know:
Viewing information
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 13 | Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
- Location: Parc des Princes -- Paris, France
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: France -5000; Draw +1400; Kazakhstan +10000 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
France: Having beaten Belgium and Spain to lift the Nations League trophy, the hosts have two games to book their World Cup berth and will look to pick up where they left off against Finland back in September. A pair of draws against Ukraine and another against Bosnia-Herzegovina have slowed them down, but three points here will suffice ahead of a potentially trickier trip to Helsinki.
Kazakhstan: With just three points to their name all qualifying campaign due to three draws -- two against Ukraine -- the best that the Kazakhs can hope for is to make life as tough as they did back in March when France scraped a 2-0 win at Astana Arena.
Prediction
Les Bleus should see this one off in style. Expect a glut of goals as Deschamps and his star men confirm that they are World Cup-bound. Pick: France 5-0 Kazakhstan.