France national team players, who won the World Cup on Sunday, will receive the highest French state decoration, the Legion of Honour, the Élysée Palace said on Monday.

The accolade, called in French Légion d’Honneur, is the highest French order of merit, and was established in May 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte.

The exact date when the footballers, led by captain Hugo Lloris, and including the World Cup’s best young player, Kylian Mbappé, would receive the decoration from President Emmanuel Macron, has not been announced.

The same decoration was bestowed on the French team that won the 1998 World Cup hosted by France, which had been captained by team’s present manager, Didier Deschamps.

The order is bestowed on individuals for military or civilian merits, regardless of their origin, creed, or nationality, for achievements that are deemed to promote the values of the 1789 French Revolution, summarised by the famous French slogan “liberty, equality, and fraternity.”

Along with his wife Brigitte, Macron will host a meeting with all the 23 French players from this year’s World Cup tournament, who will be greeted ceremoniously at the world famous Champs-Élysées, in Paris city centre.

The gardens of the nearby Élysée Palace – the French President’s official residency, will host an official banquet and celebration expected to be attended by 3,000 people, including a number of young sportspeople from France.

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