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France will face Ivory Coast in an international friendly at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes tonight.

The kick-off for the France vs Ivory Coast match is scheduled for 02:10 WIB on Friday (June 5, 2026) early morning.

Both teams have already secured their places in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and this encounter will serve as a stern test between two evenly matched sides.

France are among the favourites to win the World Cup in North America, boasting a squad filled with talent and experience under the guidance of Didier Deschamps, a coach who has lifted the World Cup both as a player and as a manager.

The French side are currently in excellent form, having defeated Brazil 2-1 and Colombia 3-1 in friendlies earlier this year.

The match against Ivory Coast will be followed by another friendly against Northern Ireland on June 8.

Les Bleus have been drawn in Group I alongside Senegal (June 16), Iraq (June 22), and Norway (June 26).

Ivory Coast were chosen as France’s warm-up opponent due to their similarities with France’s group stage rival, Senegal.

Meanwhile, Ivory Coast will be pleased to use this game as a high-quality warm-up before their World Cup campaign, giving them valuable preparation ahead of their Group E challenge, which includes strong opponents Ecuador (June 15), powerhouse Germany (June 20), and debutants Curaçao (June 25).

The 2023 AFCON champions played two friendlies in March and also come into this game with solid momentum.

They defeated South Korea 4-0 and followed that up with a 1-0 win over Scotland, both matches played in England, showcasing the Elephants’ ability to win against quality teams away from home.

Head-to-Head and Statistics: France vs Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast and France have met three times previously, with the Elephants yet to register a victory against Les Bleus.

France have beaten Ivory Coast twice, while the other encounter ended in a draw.

Their most recent meeting was a 2-1 win for Les Bleus in March 2022.

Nicolas Pepe opened the scoring for the Elephants on that occasion, but goals from Olivier Giroud and Aurelien Tchouameni turned the game around to secure victory for France.

Match Prediction: France vs Ivory Coast

France are expected to dominate possession and attempt to control the tempo through their highly skilled and technically gifted midfielders.

Deschamps is likely to experiment with different attacking combinations in this match as he fine-tunes his selection ahead of the tournament.

Ivory Coast will look to utilise their pacey wingers for quick counter-attacks, aiming to exploit the spaces left behind when the French full-backs push forward.

We predict a narrow win for France, with goals coming from both sides.

Predicted Score: France 2-1 Ivory Coast