Betting advertising polemics have hit the France national team’s camp on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2026, hosted in the US, Canada and Mexico.

This weekend, French sports daily l’Équipe reported that senior figures of Les Bleus squad have demanded that the France Football Federation (FFF) intervene on the use of image rights by French licensed bookmakers.

Players including superstar Kylian Mbappé and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki are reported to be unhappy with their images being used by Betclic.

The controversy has created “fresh tensions” between the players and the Federation as via “collective image rights package” Betclic acquired in 2023 to use the image of French players.

The conflict was raised by players on Thursday prior to France playing the Ivory Coast in a 2-1 defeat as Betclic published a World Cup promotion including the players Cherki, Mbappé, Désiré Doué, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembélé.

Betclic is reported to have taken the images of the French team in the national training camp of Clairefontaine. The players featured in the images claimed that they were never informed that their images would be used by a bookmaker. 

2022 fallout revisited 

The fallout revives a long-running conflict led by Mbappé regarding the commercial use of player images in gambling sponsorships that can be traced back to World Cup 2022 in Qatar. 

At the time, the France captain objected to his image being used in campaigns linked to betting operators and fast-food brands.

Mbappé argued that players should have greater control over the commercial partnerships associated with their image and reputation. The superstar’s boycott quickly developed into a broader issue within the national team. 

Several France internationals backed Mbappé’s position through the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP).

The dispute ultimately forced the FFF to revise its image rights framework. Following negotiations between federation officials, player representatives and the UNFP, a new collective agreement was signed in 2023 establishing clearer rules governing the use of player images by federation sponsors “to settle on mechanisms intended to prevent future disputes.”

Yet despite the player backlash, Betclic appears to be operating within the framework agreed by French football authorities. Under the 2023 collective image rights agreement, federation sponsors are permitted to use the images of five or more players together as “part of a collective team promotion”. The Betclic campaign met this requirement and was produced “using official federation media assets.”

The UNFP, which helped negotiate the image rights framework, is understood to be involved in discussions regarding the latest dispute. As such, scrutiny is likely to focus less on Betclic’s conduct and more on whether players were sufficiently informed that their images would be used in a campaign linked to a bookmaker.

The controversy also places renewed attention on France’s gambling advertising framework ahead of the World Cup.

French gambling advertising is governed by the codes and guidance of the Advertising Regulatory Authority (ARPP), established in cooperation with  l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ). 

Current rules place strict controls on gambling marketing, including restrictions on the use of athletes, celebrities and influencers who have an appeal to under-25 audiences. 

Operators must also demonstrate that marketing communications are socially responsible, appropriately targeted at +25 audiences and cannot encourage excessive gambling participation.

However, Betclic’s campaign remains within the rules as the images were used as part of a World Cup promotion and not as an advertising campaign visible to the public. 

ANJ all eyes on World Cup conduct

The ANJ has yet to comment publicly on the dispute. Nevertheless, the regulator has repeatedly warned France’s 18 licensed online gambling operators that World Cup 2026 will serve as a critical test of advertising standards and consumer protection obligations.

Ahead of the tournament, the authority instructed operators to exercise restraint in advertising volumes/coverage, strengthen audience-targeting measures and ensure that marketing messages comply with responsible gambling requirements. 

France has further tightened oversight of gambling marketing in 2024 and 2025. Under new rules, all licensed online gambling operators must submit their advertising and marketing strategies to the ANJ every six months for review and approval. 

The dispute also emerges during a period of transition for the ANJ. The regulator is expected to undergo a leadership change during June, marking the departure of outgoing President Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin.

Prior to her exit, Falque-Pierrotin warned France’s licensed bookmakers that the World Cup would represent an acid test of gambling advertising conduct and social responsibility standards, that will be reexamined following the tournament’s conclusion. 

Wider French media suggest that the FFF is keen to resolve the matter quickly and restore harmony within the camp before it becomes an unnecessary distraction to France’s title ambitions as Les Bleus settle in the base camp of Bentley University in Massachusetts as one of the favourites to lift the World Cup trophy on 19 July.