This Thursday, the French national team will play a World Cup 2026 preparation match against Ivory Coast at 9:10 PM CET at the Stade de la Beaujoire. Ahead of the match, L’Equipe attempted to predict the starting lineup that will be fielded by French coach Didier Deschamps and his Ivorian counterpart, Emerse Faé. Five Paris Saint-Germain players, all French, will feature in the match: Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, and Ousmane Dembélé. None are expected to start.
France (4-2-3-1) –
Mbappé
Thuram – Olise – Cherki
Rabiot – Tchouaméni
T. Hernandez – Konaté – Upamecano – Koundé
Maignan
Ivory Coast (4-3-3) –
Y. Diomande – Wahi – Am. Diallo
Kessié – Oulaï – Sangaré
Konan – O. Diomandé – Koussounou – G. Doué
Ya. Fofana
Both lineups are quite plausible, given recent matches and available players. Regarding Les Bleus, the media tend to be rather specific about Deschamps’ choices. There’s also talk of managing the PSG players, who played in the Champions League final last Saturday against Arsenal.
However, there are other possible options for both sides within their strong squads. We’ll have to wait for the official announcement, about an hour before the match, to know for sure.
