French Foreign Legion recruitment in 2026

The target for French Foreign Legion recruitment in 2026 is about 1,100 new legionnaires. That remains the target in the latest information I have. Recruitment continues throughout the year, but fewer places mean you need to take your preparation seriously.

Here is what the recruitment plan means for you, how the regiment assignments are planned, and what you should work on before you arrive. For the full selection process, documents and packing advice, start with my guide to joining the French Foreign Legion.

How many recruits will the Legion take in 2026?

The target is 1,100 new recruits. The official recruitment website says it examines around 8,000 applications each year.

Using those two figures gives an estimated selection ratio of 13.75%, or about 14%. That is roughly one recruit for every seven to eight candidates. This is a rough comparison with the annual target, not the final acceptance rate for 2026 or your personal chance of passing.

Your fitness, medical assessment, motivation, background and results all matter. You are assessed as a person, not picked at random from a queue.

Why is recruitment lower?

The planning information used for this article includes a reduction of 130 positions in 2e REP and 130 in 13e DBLE. That is 260 positions in total, linked to the closure of their 5th companies.

These changes reduce the number of positions the Legion needs to fill, especially at the junior ranks. In simple terms, the Legion already has more soldiers than the revised structure requires. That helps explain the lower recruitment target.

Earlier periods of expansion created more places, including when 13e DBLE returned to France from the United Arab Emirates. The 2026 plan points in the other direction: fewer places and more room to be selective.

Who serves in the Legion?

The figures for 1 January 2026 list 9,147 serving soldiers from 149 countries. These are the figures at the start of the year, rather than a live headcount.

In 2025, the largest groups of new recruits came from:

• Latin America: 37.9%, mainly Brazil and Colombia. The comparison with 2024 in the original figures is +0.3%.
• The Indian subcontinent: 23.4%, mainly Nepal. The comparison with 2024 is −3.4%.
• Europe, including France: 23.4%. The comparison with 2024 is +4.6%.

The figures for the force as a whole include:

• 33% Europeans, including 8% French.
• 25% South Americans, including 11% Brazilians and 9% Colombians.
• 18% Nepalese and 2% Indians.

The Legion also needs a mix of nationalities and enough people who speak French. In my experience, speaking French well can help your application. It does not replace good results in the other parts of selection. If you have time before joining, start learning now.

Which regiments will receive new legionnaires?

The 2026 assignment plan lists 814 young legionnaires:

• 274 from the 2025 intake, with assignments planned between January and April 2026.
• 540 from the 2026 intake, with assignments planned from May to the end of the year.

Recruitment and regiment assignments are different stages. Not everyone recruited during a calendar year finishes training and joins a regiment that same year. Some candidates also leave before completing training.

The regiment figures

These are the planned annual figures for each regiment. The final column shows the average per assignment rotation where a figure was provided.

Regiment	2026 total	Per rotation
1er RE	5	Not listed
4e RE	25	Not listed
2e REI	134	5
13e DBLE	130	5
2e REP	141	5
1er REG	118	5
2e REG	126	5
3e REI	40	Not listed
Listed total	719

The regiment figures above total 719 places, compared with 814 in the overall assignment plan. These planning figures can differ because former legionnaires return to service, others renew their contracts before leaving, and some regiments already have more legionnaires than they need. These changes affect how many new legionnaires each regiment receives.

Why assignments can change

The plan takes account of the company closures at 2e REP and 13e DBLE, as well as the planned growth in engineer roles linked to the Engineer 2030 objective.

An assignment rotation is called a ventilation in French. The numbers can change between rotations because of:

• Volunteers for parachute units, known as TAP.
• Medical fitness and restrictions affecting parachute, mountain or armoured roles.
• Selection for 3e REI, which the original plan expected to have a limited effect during the first six to seven rotations.
• Legionnaires kept by 4e RE for the fast-track corporal course.
• Volunteers selected for the Foreign Legion Music Band.

The practical point is simple: a regiment’s annual figure is not a promise that a place will be available when you finish training. The official selection page explains that regiment choices depend on training results, available places and the Legion’s needs.

What the official recruitment site currently says

Recruitment runs throughout the year. You can go to a recruitment post for information or report directly to a preselection centre in Aubagne or Fort de Nogent. There is no online selection process.

The official application page currently says that Russian and Ukrainian nationals are not being recruited. It also excludes military personnel and mercenaries who have taken part in the war between those countries, until further notice.

For the rest of the process, use the joining guide. This article focuses on the 2026 recruitment plan.

My advice: prepare before you arrive

I served in the French Foreign Legion from 2012 to 2020 and continue to keep my knowledge of the Legion up to date thanks to my current job and friends. The advice below comes from my experience. You can read more about my Legion background here.

Know why you want to join

Be ready to explain why you want to join the Legion, why you did not join your own country’s army, and how long you want to serve. Do not learn a speech by heart. Think honestly about your reasons.

The Legion is not the Red Cross. It needs soldiers who can do the job and complete at least their first five-year contract. Take the preparation as seriously as you would for selection in your own country’s army.

Train for the tests you will actually face

The official sports-test page lists overhand pull-ups and the Luc Léger beep test. It also strongly recommends being able to swim 25 metres without help.

The official page lists level 5 as the minimum for the Luc Léger test. My advice is to aim for level 10. That is a preparation target, not an official pass mark. Do not build your whole plan around scraping through the minimum.

Train regularly, practise clean pull-ups and make sure you can swim. Use the Luc Léger audio in Legion Training to become familiar with the test.

Look after your health and hygiene

You only get one chance to make a good first impression. Arrive clean, organised and as well prepared as you can. The medical team will decide whether you are fit to serve.

Prepare with Legion Training

We built Legion Training to help candidates prepare with IQ practice, training plans, French vocabulary and Luc Léger audio. Use it alongside the joining guide and regular training.

If you are serious about joining in 2026, start preparing before you travel. Read the full joining guide, make a training plan and work on the things you can improve.

LegionStories is an unofficial website.