Mateta Targets World Cup With France To Realise Childhood Dream

Jean-Philippe Mateta is targeting a place in France’s World Cup squad and plans to train relentlessly to get there. The Crystal Palace striker has three senior caps under Didier Deschamps and wants to turn that start into a role at the global tournament across June and July.

The 28-year-old missed France’s most recent squad due to a knee injury, which also interrupted Crystal Palace’s season. That setback halted interest from AC Milan and left Mateta determined to prove fitness and form during the final weeks of the club campaign.

Mateta already has experience in tournament football with the national setup. France finished runners-up at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024 under Thierry Henry, where Mateta featured as one of three overage players and scored four times, including a stoppage-time equaliser in the final against Spain.

Spain eventually defeated France 5-3 after extra time, yet Mateta’s displays still stood out. At senior level, Mateta has two goals from three appearances since making a debut for France last year, strengthening a belief that more chances under Deschamps remain possible if club performances now improve.

"I thought about it every day when I was injured, and Ill do everything I can to make it happen, by showing on the pitch that Im ready, by working like a madman," Matetatold L'Equipe.

Crystal Palace and coach Oliver Glasner are chasing success in the Conference League, which gives Mateta another stage to impress. The striker has not scored in five matches in all competitions since returning in mid-March, after missing eight games with the earlier knee problem.

That spell on the sidelines turned Mateta’s focus towards the long-term target of France and the World Cup. Yet the immediate path goes through domestic and European fixtures for Crystal Palace, where regular goals would strengthen Mateta’s claim for selection by Deschamps later this year.

Mateta believes the World Cup sits on a different level to anything experienced so far. "Its different from the 2024 Olympics, firstly because I really dont have the same status in the squad, and secondly because its the gathering of the worlds best players," he added. "Its a childhood dream, like saying to yourself, 'I can score for the French national team'.Even for you, as a journalist, its something extraordinary, and everyone wants to be part of it, dont they? So imagine as a player. If I can help the team, Ill be the happiest person in the world."

Mateta’s determination has also become part of Crystal Palace’s public image, with powerful celebrations drawing attention online.

For now, Crystal Palace’s run-in and Conference League campaign shape Mateta’s route towards that ambition with France. Strong performances and goals over the coming months could be decisive in convincing Deschamps, and Mateta accepts that delivering for club and country is the only route to that childhood dream.