Overview
The French team entered the 2026 World Cup as one of the brightest candidates for the championship. Didier Deschamps' team won a ticket to North America after leading Group D of the European qualifiers with a record of 5 wins and 1 draw.
Possessing a quality squad in all three lines, especially a creative and fast attack, France is expected to reclaim the throne after losing to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final.
The recent form of the blue team is also very impressive. Before the defeat to Ivory Coast in the friendly match on June 5 - a match where Deschamps used a rotating squad - France has won 8 out of 10 recent matches in all competitions.
Head-to-head history is also completely in favor of the home team. In the previous three encounters with Northern Ireland, France have all won, scored 9 goals and conceded only once.
On the other hand, Northern Ireland continued to miss the World Cup after losing to Italy in the play-off round before losing to Bosnia & Herzegovina in the qualifying match in March.
Coach Michael O'Neill's team was very close to a World Cup spot when they won 9 points after 6 matches in the European regional qualifiers. However, they could not overcome the final challenges.
However, Northern Ireland still has grounds to be optimistic about the future. The current squad possesses many promising young players, as shown by the average age of just over 22 in the victory over Guinea in the middle of the week.
Michael O'Neill's goal is to continue building forces and accumulating experience in the upcoming major challenges at the Nations League, where Northern Ireland will successively face Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia.
The clash with France is therefore considered a quality test for Northern Ireland. At the same time, it is also an opportunity for Les Bleus to complete the final pieces before entering the journey to conquer the 2026 World Cup.
Personnel situation
The French team is likely to continue rotating forces in the friendly match with Northern Ireland to ensure the best physical condition for key players before the 2026 World Cup.
Having just participated in the UEFA Champions League final, center-back William Saliba and a group of Paris Saint-Germain players are highly likely to be rested by Didier Deschamps or only used for a limited time.
On the North Irish side, Michael O'Neill is likely to maintain the framework that has shown quite positively in recent matches against Wales and Guinea.
However, the away team will have to make at least one forced change. Defender Tom Atcheson will be absent due to suspension after receiving a direct red card in the most recent match.
In that context, Trai Hume is considered the most suitable replacement and is likely to be in the starting lineup of Northern Ireland.
Expected lineup:
France: Maignan, Kounde, Upamecano, Konate, L. Hernandez, Tchouameni, Akliouche, Cherki, Olise, Mbappe, Thuram.
Northern Ireland: P. Charles, McConville, Hume, Brown, Smyth, McDonnell, S.Charles, Devenny, Donley, Price, Reid.
The match between France and Northern Ireland takes place at 2:10 am on June 9 (Vietnam time).
