Manchester United’s Amad Diallo Seal scored the winner as Ivory Coast defeated France 2-1 in a friendly ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Published June 4, 2026
France dismissed concerns about their World Cup preparations after suffering a shocking 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast in a warm-up match for the tournament, insisting the setback was a useful reminder rather than a worrying one.
Didier Deschamps’ side took the lead in the first half on Thursday thanks to Rayan Cherki’s superb goal, but were turned around after the break as Guerra Douai and Amad Diallo turned the game around for the Nantes Elephants.
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France open their World Cup match against Senegal in New York on June 16, and midfielder Aurélien Choameny said the result should be seen as part of their preparations.
“It’s disappointing to lose, but we are in the preparation stages. We are confident,” Choameni said.
“Even if we win, there are no conclusions to be drawn from this game. We will prepare.”
France fielded an experimental squad, resting several Paris Saint-Germain players after last weekend’s Champions League final victory and making a number of changes after half-time.
Defender Lucas Hernandez also downplayed the significance of the loss.
“We always want to win, but we were in the preparation phase and there were a lot of changes,” Hernandez said.
“We are very well.”
However, Deschamps admitted his side lost control of the match after a strong start to the game after 45 minutes and warned that France would face a similar caliber of opponent to Ivory Coast in the United States.
“Losing is never fun, even if we did something good in the first half,” Deschamps said.
“In the second half we made a lot of changes, but that’s no excuse. We weren’t that good after the break and they brought a lot of pace.
“We will be playing against the same type of team on June 16th.”
The French coach said the result could be helpful if it prevents his players from becoming complacent before the tournament.
“It’s a reminder, if we need it, that we shouldn’t think we’re better than we are,” he said.
Cherki added: “This is a bit of a warning, but I can say that we’re not going to go into the World Cup thinking we’re the favorites, but we’re going to crush everyone.”
