France welcome Northern Ireland to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Monday evening in their final preparation match before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Despite suffering a surprise 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast in their most recent friendly, France remain among the favourites for the tournament after topping their qualification group with five wins and one draw.
Led by Didier Deschamps, Les Bleus head into the World Cup as the world’s top-ranked national team and will be aiming to erase memories of their 2022 final defeat to Argentina.
France have won eight of their last 10 matches and will open their World Cup campaign against Senegal.
Northern Ireland, meanwhile, arrive after a victory over Guinea but narrowly missed out on qualification for the World Cup after losing to Italy in the playoffs.
Manager Michael O’Neill has continued to build an exciting young squad, with the team fielding an average age of just 22.1 years in their latest outing.
History also favours France heading into the encounter. The two nations have met three times previously, with France winning all three matches, scoring nine goals and conceding only once.
With the World Cup just around the corner, Deschamps will be hoping his side can finish their preparations on a positive note before beginning their quest for a third world title. Their football team X account went ahead to share posts about their final training session.
Team News
With William Saliba alongside a quintet of Paris Saint-Germain players featuring in last weekend’s UEFA Champions League final, it is likely that Deschamps will hold off on giving any of them minutes from the start on Monday evening.
In their place, the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Maghnes Akliouche and Marcus Thuram could be given the platform to stake a claim for a starting spot in Les Bleus’ World Cup opener.
Following positive performances against both Wales and Guinea, it is unlikely that O’Neill will make many changes to his starting lineup.
However, after picking up a straight red card on Thursday evening, Blackburn’s Tom Atcheson will be suspended for Monday’s match, meaning Trai Hume is likely to feature from the start.
Possible LineUps
France possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Konate, L. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Akliouche, Cherki; Olise, Mbappe, Thuram
Northern Ireland possible starting lineup:
P. Charles; McConville, Hume, Brown; Smyth, McDonnell, S.Charles, Devenny; Donley, Price; Reid
How to Watch
| Platform | Details |
|---|---|
| TV Broadcast | beIN SPORTS |
| Live Stream | DSTV Stream |
| Kick-off Time | 20:10 (WAT) |
Match Predictions
Softfootball predicts France 3-0 Northern Ireland
Deschamps’s men looked far from convincing against Ivory Coast, however we expect them to brush past the Green and White Army before heading to face Senegal at the MetLife Stadium next week.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will bring a unique family twist, with eight pairs of siblings set to take part in football’s biggest tournament. FIFA have also officially announced a redesigned 360-degree pre-match ceremony for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
