France opened its last home match before the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday night against Northern Ireland at Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, with Didier Deschamps taking charge of what is expected to be his final game on French soil with the national team.
The setting made the friendly matter immediately. France were eight days from their World Cup opener, and the match doubled as a final domestic check on a squad trying to steady itself after a 2-1 defeat to Ivory Coast. Kylian Mbappé, who started as captain, began the night on 56 goals for France and could draw level with Olivier Giroud's national record of 57, while also moving closer to Laurent Blanc's mark of 97 caps.
France lined up in a 4-2-3-1, with Mbappé joined by Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué behind the attack, and Aurélien Tchouaméni and Adrien Rabiot anchoring midfield. Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba and Theo Hernandez were also in the starting side, a shape that showed Deschamps was using the night to sharpen a core group rather than experiment heavily. Northern Ireland, which is not qualified for the World Cup, began in a 5-4-1 under German referee Sascha Stegemann.
That is what gave the friendly its edge. France did not arrive with the cleanest recent form, and the loss to Ivory Coast had already raised questions about how secure the final preparation really was. This match was described as the team’s last friendly before departing for the tournament, and the lineup was said to be close to the side planned for the Senegal match, leaving little doubt that Deschamps was treating it as more than a routine exhibition.
What happens next is plain enough: France leaves for the World Cup with one more test now closed and one more decision still hanging over the opener eight days away. If this was Deschamps' last night at home, the real judgment starts with whether the side he settled on here can carry that shape into the tournament itself.
