France host Northern Ireland at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille on Monday, 8 June 2026 — kick-off at 8:10pm BST — in their final friendly before the 2026 World Cup begins. The match carries extra weight after Didier Deschamps' side suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Ivory Coast in their previous warm-up fixture, a result that stunned the football world.

Ivory Coast deliver a pre-tournament shock

France, widely considered among the favourites for the 2026 World Cup, were beaten on home soil by the Ivory Coast, with Amad Diallo scoring the decisive goal. Deschamps had fielded a heavily rotated squad that day, with his PSG contingent yet to be fully integrated, but the defeat still reverberated across the globe.

Deschamps is expected to name a stronger lineup against Northern Ireland as Les Bleus look to rebuild momentum ahead of the tournament. France's historical record against Northern Ireland offers some comfort — the two sides have met three times before, all prior to the year 2000, with France winning each encounter, scoring nine goals and conceding only one.

Northern Ireland's road to Lille

Northern Ireland will not feature at the 2026 World Cup, having been eliminated in the play-offs by Italy in March — a 2-0 defeat on the night. However, Michael O'Neill's men have not lost since, drawing 1-1 with Wales before recording a 1-0 win over Guinea just three days before this fixture, a match in which Tom Atcheson both scored and was shown a red card.

The Northern Ireland squad will also carry momentum from their promotion out of the UEFA Nations League's third tier in November 2024, and they face challenging Nations League assignments against Hungary, Ukraine, and Georgia in September.

How to watch

Viewers in the UK can catch the match free on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer — a BBC Online account and a valid TV licence are required. Fans in France can stream it free via TF1+. In the United States, the game is available on Fox Sports 2, with streaming through Fox One from $19.99 per month after a 3-day free trial. Australian viewers can watch on Stan Sport, priced at AU$32 per month.