France participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song with the song "Il était temps" written by Corneille Nyungura and Virginie Pouchain. The song was performed by Virginie Pouchain. The French broadcaster France Télévisions in collaboration with the television channels France 2, France 3 and RFO organised the national final Et si c'était vous? in order to select the French entry for the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece. Singers interested in entering the French national final had the opportunity to apply to one of three open competitions with defined periods organised by France 2, France 3 and RFO. A total of 21 artists were selected; thirteen were selected from the France 3 selection and four were each selected from the France 2 and RFO selections. The 21 finalists competed