Official | France to face Northern Ireland before the 2026 World Cup

France will face Northern Ireland on Monday, 8 June at Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy for their final international friendly game before flying to the United States for the 2026 World Cup. It will also be Didier Deschamps’ final game in charge of Les Bleus on home soil. Four days prior, France will face Ivory Coast at Nantes’ Stade de la Beaujoire. 

France and Northern Ireland will face each other for the first time since 1999, when Les Bleus beat the Green and White Army at Belfast 1-0 with Lilian Laslandes on the scoresheet. “This is exactly the level of challenge we want“, Irish FA Technical Director, Aaron Hughes, said. “France are one of the top sides in world football so it’s a great test for our players.”