Called up for the first time by France at senior level – having previously played for his country as a youth international, most recently in October 2019 at Under-20s level – Lacroix's timely inclusion saw him thrown straight into the action by Didier Deschamps.
The Palace vice-captain began Thursday night's pre-World Cup 2-1 friendly win over Brazil in Massachusetts on the bench, but came on in the 58th minute to help Les Bleus seal victory against the fifth-ranked side in the world.
Lacroix then enjoyed his full debut – completing the full 90 minutes in a 3-1 win over Colombia, for whom teammates Jefferson Lerma and Daniel Muñoz played – and earned plenty of plaudits in Maryland on Sunday night.