Okay, so first things first: I realize that this was just a friendly. That France losing this game is not deadly. it does not kill their chances of being successful for the upcoming World Cup.
Still, you kind of hope that your team looks better than France did in this one in Nantes, France. Simply put, they appeared flat and uninspired. Pretty much largely lifeless.
Not how you want to look just before the World Cup, in other words.
Of course, before I suggest that this might be shades of 2002 or 2010 (two disastrous World Cup showings for France), it bears repeating that this was just a friendly. It does not officially count for anything in terms of the actual World Cup.
But they had better play with a lot more intensity and focus, and execute much better in the upcoming weeks, or it will be another bad memory of France at the World Cup.
Yet, it did not start out like that.
Rayan Cherki struck first for France, giving them a 1-0 lead in the 45th minute.
However, Guéla Doué scored the equalizer in the 53rd minute. It was clear then that France was actually in for a tough match.
France could not answer. Despite the talent and star power and experience, they just could not find the back of the net.
Unfortunately, Ivory Coast's Amad Diallo did find the back of the net, giving them a 2-1 lead in the 84th minute. That left France with very little time to try and salvage even a tie.
In the end, they did not manage to get a tie and lost this game. It was the first ever victory for Ivory Coast over France. Their players celebrated wildly after earning the impressive win. Meanwhile, French players could be seen looking dejected and down.
Again, now the way that you really want to look and play just before the biggest sports tournament in the world.
However, no one sounded overly worried after the loss.
Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni emphasized that this was all part of the preparation for the World Cup, so France remains confident:
“It’s a pity to lose, but we’re in a preparation phase; we stay confident,” Tchouameni said.
“There is no conclusion to draw from this game, even if we had won it. We will be ready.”
He was not alone in downplaying the significance of such a loss.
Defender Lucas Hernandez also had much the same kind of thing to say:
“We always want to win, but we’re in a phase of preparation, and there were a lot of substitutions,” Hernandez said.
“We’re in good spirits.”
However, Didier Deschamps, who won the 1998 World Cup as a member of L'Equipe de France and then won it again in 2018 serving as their coach, did not dismiss this loss quite as easily or conveniently. He did not sound like he was in a panic. Yet, neither did he simply brush this result aside as if it does not matter, either:
Deschamps, however, admitted that his side had lost control of the contest after an encouraging opening 45 minutes and warned that France would face opponents with similar qualities to Ivory Coast in the United States.
“A defeat is never pleasant, even if we did some good things in the first half,” Deschamps said.
Deschamps did see some positives, a bit of a silver lining, while still remaining cautious:
“In the second half we made a lot of changes, but that’s no excuse. We were not as good after the break, and they brought a lot of pace.
“We will face the same type of team on June 16.”
The France coach said the result could prove useful if it prevented his players from becoming complacent before the tournament.
“It’s a reminder, if we needed one, not to think we’re better than we are,” he said.
Let's hope that this indeed does serve as a wakeup call.
Below is the link to the article which I used in writing this particular entry, and from which I obtained all of the quotes used above:
Ivory Coast beats France in World Cup warning to one of the favourites by Reuters, 4 June, 2026:
Ivory Coast defeats France 2-1 in friendly ahead of the 2026 World Cup, as Manchester United’s Amad Diallo seals win.
https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/6/4/ivory-coast-beat-france-in-world-cup-warning-to-one-of-the-favourites
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