FIFA World Cup 2026

The Madagascan midfielder sat down with FIFA to discuss his surprise call-up, national pride and a crucial year ahead.

•Madagascar are on a roll in FIFA World Cup 26 qualifying

•The Barea are undefeated in their last three matches

•Clement Couturier discusses their chances of reaching a maiden finals

Boasting seven points from four matches, Madagascar have emerged as one of the surprise contenders in African qualifying for a FIFA World Cup 26™ berth, with that tally currently placing them third in Group I. While they failed to make it to what would have been only a second Africa Cup of Nations in last November's qualifiers, the island nation still have plenty of positives to hold onto heading into what promises to be a huge 2025.

Clement Couturier has become a key reason behind the current side's success. Born in the French town of Chaumont, Couturier, who has a Madagascan grandfather, had to hold off receiving his first call-up until he turned 29. The decision was made by former coach Romuald Rakotondrabe, and the reward for the midfielder – who had given up hope of an international career – would be nothing short of remarkable.

“I got a call sometime in 2023 telling me I was being scouted, so I was happy about that,” the 31-year-old recalled exclusively to FIFA. “One day I got a call from the coach, who then came to see me during my time in Luxembourg. He told me about the team and how it worked, and I told him I wanted to join. I was first called up in November 2023, so it's all very new.”

His baptism of fire came during the Barea's opening qualifier for World Cup 26, as Rayan Raveloson and his team-mates faced a daunting trip to Kumasi to take on Group I favourites Ghana. Although Couturier has already had his share of thrills in the past, including an unpredictable French Cup final in 2018 when he lost 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain with third division Les Herbiers, the days leading up to that encounter will stay with him for the rest of his life.

“It felt a bit weird because I didn't believe in it until I joined up with the national team,” said the midfielder. “Initially, I thought, ‘this isn't possible’ because I'd been keeping an eye on the national team. There were players from the French top flight and others who played in better leagues than me. Although Luxembourg is a good place to play, it still has a low-level league, so I thought I might not be up to the task, and I didn't know what would happen.”

Couturier remained on the bench for the first match against the Black Stars, but watched events closely, soaking up first-hand what was to come in a top-level international match. What did he see from the sidelines? Simply put, Madagascar's players are hard-working, committed and show great promise.

“The stands were packed and it was boiling hot. Having lived in Europe all my life, I wasn't used to things like that, so I was naturally a bit taken aback," he said. "It was quite breathtaking. Then, the slightly frustrating thing about that game was that we conceded a last-minute goal, around the 94th minute. We put in a solid performance, hit the woodwork twice and got punished at the end.”

They may have fallen by the narrowest of margins to Ghana, but Madagascar's players have since gone unbeaten in their qualifying campaign. They went on to win 3-0 in Chad a few days later, with Couturier in the starting line-up. A few months after that, the East African islanders picked up another win over previously unbeaten Comoros, before a goalless draw with Mali rubber-stamped an impressive start to the qualifiers.

Once qualifying kicks off again in March, Madagascar will be well-placed to challenge for top spot in the group. The Barea will be looking to extend their good run of form in the Central African Republic and then in a return fixture against Ghana, this time on home soil. As for Couturier, he remains hopeful of getting back in the side with the appointment of French coach Corentin Martins.

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