Only goalkeeper Gregory Coupet was included from French champions Lyon.

Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly, capped 112 times by France, will lead the side which defends the title they won in 2000.

Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira is one of four players from the English champions along with Robert Pires, Thierry Henry and Sylvain Wiltord.

Wiltord had been doubtful as he has just resumed playing following a long-term injury.

Manchester United's Louis Saha and Marseille's Steve Marlet join Henry and David Trezeguet in the strike force which will be without suspended Auxerre front-man Djibril Cisse who joins Liverpool in the summer.

Monaco's impressive run to the European Champions League final clinched midfield spots for skipper Ludovic Giuly and Jerome Rothen alongside the incomparable Zinedine Zidane, Vieira and Chelsea hard-man Claude Makelele.

"There were some tough choices to make and some of those who didn't quite make it came very close," said Santini, who took over from Roger Lemerre after France's disastrous showing in the 2002 World Cup finals.

"But the unlucky ones all behaved like true pros. They were disappointed, but none of them showed their disappointment our refused to be part of my replacement's list."

He singled out in particular Werder Bremen midfielder Johan Micoud and Bordeaux goalkeeper Ulrich Rame, both in their 30's who have likely saw their last chance vanish of playing in a major football finals.

France, 1998 World Cup winners who crashed out of the 2002 World Cup without scoring a goal, have won all their qualifying matches and play England in their opening match on June 13.

Croatia and Switzerland are their other first round opponents.

Saha said that he had felt under pressure over the last few weeks as he tried to make the cut and added that it was his performances with Manchester United that had convinced Santini.

The squad: Goalkeepers: Fabien Barthez, Gregory Coupet, Mickael Landreau; defenders: Jean-Alain Boumsong, Marcel Desailly, William Gallas, Bixente Lizarazu, Mikael Silvestre, Lilian Thuram, Willy Sagnol; midfielders: Ludovic Giuly, Claude Makelele, Olivier Dacourt, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, Jerome Rothen, Sylvain Wiltord, Zinedine Zidane, Benoit Pedretti; strikers: Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, Louis Saha, Steve Marlet.