Where The Story Turns
France hosts Côte d’Ivoire in its penultimate friendly before the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on Thursday, June 4.
The match kicks off at 3:10 p.m. ET (12:10 p.m. PT, 8:10 p.m. BST). Viewers in the U.K. can watch on ITV, ITVX, UTV or ITV 4; Welsh audiences have S4C, S4C Clic and the Red Button. Across the Atlantic the game is on Amazon Prime Video, Fox Soccer Plus, fuboTV, FOX One and ViX. Canadian fans can turn to DAZN and fuboTV Canada, while Mexican viewers have Sky Sports Mexico, Sky+ and izzi.
The title of the job changes quickly; the explanation usually takes a little longer to catch up.
The Stakes In Plain Sight
An injury to centre back William Saliba has forced manager Didier Deschamps to shuffle his back line a little earlier than he’d like. It’s a reminder that even a squad with world‑class talent can feel the pinch of a late‑June absence.
Côte d’Ivoire, despite its own defensive concerns, boasts an attack that many believe can rival the best since those golden years of the late 2000s. That firepower adds an edge to what would otherwise be a routine warm‑up.
The Question Left Open
After this fixture, France has one more friendly—against Northern Ireland on June 8—before opening its World Cup campaign against Senegal on June 16. Les Éléphants will travel straight to North America and begin their tournament a day earlier against Ecuador.