NANTES, France — France faced Ivory Coast on Thursday in an international friendly at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, one of the final warm-up matches for both teams ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match came less than a week before the tournament begins in North America, with both sides using the fixture to finalize preparations for the competition.
The French national team, coached by Didier Deschamps, entered the match after securing qualification for the World Cup and was scheduled to play another friendly against Northern Ireland before opening its tournament campaign against Senegal on June 16, according to fixture information released by football authorities and published by ESPN.
Ivory Coast, coached by Emerse Fae, is preparing for its first World Cup appearance since 2014. The team qualified for the tournament after an unbeaten qualifying campaign and will begin group-stage play against Ecuador on June 14. Germany and Curacao are also in Ivory Coast’s group.
Speaking ahead of the World Cup, Fae expressed confidence in his squad's ambitions. “Why not aim for the final?” he said, according to Reuters, while emphasizing the team’s belief following its recent success at the Africa Cup of Nations.
France is considered among the leading contenders for the World Cup and features a squad that includes captain Kylian Mbappe and several players who recently completed club seasons in Europe. Some members of the squad joined the national team camp after participating in major club competitions, including the UEFA Champions League final.
The two nations previously met in an international friendly in 2022, when France recorded a 2-1 victory. Historical records indicate that Ivory Coast has not defeated France at senior international level.
Thursday’s match was viewed by both federations as an opportunity to assess player fitness, squad combinations and tactical preparations before the start of the World Cup. The fixture was one of several warm-up matches being played by qualified nations in the days leading up to the tournament.
As of Thursday evening, attention for both teams remained focused on final preparations for the World Cup, with France scheduled to face Northern Ireland next and Ivory Coast set to continue preparations ahead of its opening match against Ecuador.
