Is France in Africa?!

During a world geography class, the teacher asked:

“Which continent is France in?”

A tenth-grade student quickly answered:

“Africa, sir!”

The teacher looked surprised.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely! I watched the France–Paraguay World Cup match this morning, and almost the entire French starting lineup was made up of Black players.”

The student then rattled off a long list of names: Mbappé, Barcola, Olise, Dembélé, Upamecano, Koné, Koundé, Maignan…

“And that’s not even counting the substitutes like Samba, Tchouaméni, Thuram, Kanté and Doué!”

The geography teacher didn’t really follow football, so instead of arguing, he simply reminded the class:

“Remember this: France is in Europe.”

A murmur spread across the classroom. Many students still looked unconvinced.

Mr. Old Man isn’t much of a football expert either, so he went to Google to check.

According to the squad list for France at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, about 18 of the 26 players have African roots or come from other Black communities. It is another reflection of France’s multicultural society and its long history of immigration.

So, the student was clearly a passionate football fan—just not a very strong geography student.

His list of players was essentially correct. But, as the teacher rightly pointed out, France is still in Europe.

Here’s the interesting part: people of color (including those of African, Caribbean, and overseas French territories’ origins) are estimated to make up somewhere between about 3.5% and 15% of France’s population, depending on how the figures are measured. Yet they account for nearly 70% of France’s 2026 World Cup squad.

Football really does make quite a few people… better at remembering team lineups than geography!

__Mr. Old Man