FOOTBALL – French team to face Ivory Coast and another opponent in World Cup preparation matches

The first two opponents of the French team in their World Cup preparation matches have been revealed, with the first being Ivory Coast led by Emerse Faé.

The French team’s schedule before heading to the United States this summer is starting to take shape. France will face Ivory Coast on June 4 in Nantes for their second-to-last preparation match for the 2026 World Cup. The final opponent for June 8 in Lille is yet to be determined. “It will be a nod to both coaches, as both Didier Deschamps and Emerse Faé are from the Nantes school and will therefore return to a city and a pitch they know well,” said FFF President Philippe Diallo from Abidjan, the Ivorian capital, where he attended the final of the LFFP Cup between OL Lyonnes and PSG on Saturday.

“As for the opponent for the second match on June 8 in Lille, we are waiting for the conclusion of the World Cup playoffs to see if one of the nations involved could be the opponent,” added Philippe Diallo, mentioning he already has “one or two ideas in mind”. The French team will then head to the United States “in the afternoon of June 9,” as previously announced following an executive committee meeting in January.

A first reconnaissance tour at the end of March

Before that, the French team will play two matches in the USA in March, on the 26th in Boston against Brazil and on the 29th in Washington against Colombia. During the World Cup (June 11-July 19) in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, they will establish their base camp at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston and train at (…)

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