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France will take on Ivory Coast in a pre-World Cup friendly at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on Thursday, 4 June 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 23:00 WIB.

Both teams have already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making this encounter a crucial test between two well-matched sides.

France enter this match as one of the favourites to lift the trophy in North America, boasting a squad full of talent and experience under the leadership of Didier Deschamps — a man who has won the World Cup both as a player and a manager.

Les Bleus are in excellent form, having defeated Brazil 2-1 and Colombia 3-1 in friendly matches earlier this year.

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

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

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

For Ivory Coast, this friendly provides a valuable opportunity to test themselves against world-class opposition before beginning their Group E campaign against Ecuador (15 June), Germany (20 June) and debutants Curaçao (25 June).

The reigning AFCON 2023 champions come into this game with strong momentum after winning both of their March friendlies.

The Elephants beat South Korea 4-0 and followed that up with a 1-0 win over Scotland, both matches held in England — underlining their ability to perform well away from home.

Head-to-Head: France vs Ivory Coast

• Ivory Coast and France have faced each other three times, with the Elephants yet to record a victory over Les Bleus.
• France have won twice, while the other meeting ended in a draw.
• Their last friendly encounter ended 2-1 in favour of Les Bleus in March 2022.
• On that occasion, Nicolas Pepe opened the scoring for the Elephants before goals from Olivier Giroud and Aurelien Tchouameni secured the comeback win for France.

Team News: France vs Ivory Coast

France centre-back William Saliba is a doubt for the World Cup and is expected to miss Thursday’s clash after aggravating a back injury during Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain last weekend.

Deschamps could also rest Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Bradley Barcola, Warren Zaire-Emery and Lucas Hernandez following their Champions League triumph with PSG.

Ibrahima Konate, who is set to join Real Madrid, could replace Saliba in central defence, while veteran midfielder N’Golo Kante, aged 35, remains a strong candidate to start in midfield.

Kylian Mbappe is just one goal away from equalling Olivier Giroud’s all-time scoring record for France (57 goals). The Real Madrid forward could start either on the left wing or as a central striker but is unlikely to play the full 90 minutes.

Ivory Coast, meanwhile, were forced to make an early change to their World Cup squad after defender Clement Akpa was ruled out through injury, with Christopher Operi stepping in as his replacement at left-back.

Right-back Guela Doue and winger Simon Adingra, who both play in Ligue 1 with Strasbourg and Monaco respectively, are expected to be involved from the start. Highly rated RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande, who scored 12 Bundesliga goals in the 2025–26 season, is also in contention.

Nicolas Pepe, who netted the opener in the 2022 friendly against France, ended his 2025–26 La Liga campaign with Villarreal on a high — contributing seven goal involvements (three goals, four assists) in his last six league appearances.

Predicted Line-ups: France vs Ivory Coast

France: Maignan; Kounde, Konate, Upamecano, Digne; Kante, Tchouameni; Olise, Cherki, Mbappe; Thuram

Ivory Coast: Y. Fofana; Doue, Kossounou, Diomande, Konan; Sangare, Kessie, S. Fofana; Pepe, Wahi, Diomande

Score Predictions: France vs Ivory Coast

Sportskeeda’s Prediction

France are expected to dominate possession and dictate the tempo through their technically gifted midfielders.

Deschamps is likely to test various attacking combinations as he finalises his preferred setup ahead of the tournament.

Ivory Coast will look to utilise their pace on the wings to launch quick counterattacks, aiming to exploit spaces left behind by France’s advancing full-backs.

We predict a narrow win for France, with both sides finding the net.

Predicted Score: France 2-1 Ivory Coast

Sportsmole’s Prediction

Ivory Coast are no pushovers and have scored 13 goals in their last five matches, giving them confidence to get on the scoresheet. However, they will enter Thursday’s game as underdogs.

Even if Deschamps decides to rest key players, France should still field a highly talented lineup.

Considering that Les Bleus are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in Nantes (nine wins, one draw), another home victory looks likely.

Predicted Score: France 3-1 Ivory Coast

TribunLombok’s Prediction

France possess superior individual quality across almost every position, though Deschamps may opt for squad rotation to maintain player fitness before the World Cup — potentially affecting their usual fluency.

Ivory Coast, on the other hand, are riding a strong wave of form. Their attack, led by experienced names like Franck Kessie and Nicolas Pepe alongside emerging talent Yan Diomande, poses a serious threat in transition.

Les Bleus are expected to control possession through Aurelien Tchouameni, N’Golo Kante, and Michael Olise, but Ivory Coast’s pace could trouble France’s defensive flanks.

As this is a pre-tournament fixture, both managers are likely to make multiple second-half substitutions, which could open up the game and lead to more goals.

Predicted Score: France 2-2 Ivory Coast