On Monday evening, France will host Northern Ireland at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy for their last friendly match before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Les Bleus faced a disappointing 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast in their last outing, while the Green and White Army narrowly defeated Guinea in Cadiz. France topped European qualifying Group D with five victories and a draw, securing their spot for this summer's tournament in North America. Under the guidance of Didier Deschamps, France enters the World Cup as the top team in the FIFA World Rankings. With a wealth of attacking talent, they are favorites to claim the trophy on July 19, aiming to rebound from their defeat to Argentina in the 2022 final. The French side is also in strong form leading up to their opening match against Senegal, having won eight of their last ten games, with the only loss occurring against Ivory Coast with a rotated squad. Historically, France has faced Northern Ireland three times before, all prior to the year 2000, winning each encounter while scoring nine goals and conceding just one. Northern Ireland secured nine points in their six matches within European qualifying Group A and entered the March playoff rounds just two matches shy of their first World Cup appearance since 1986. Unfortunately, their wait for a World Cup spot will extend for at least another four years, as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Italy, who subsequently lost to Bosnia & Herzegovina in the critical match. Despite this setback, Northern Ireland has reasons to be hopeful, particularly due to the youthfulness of their squad, which boasted an average age of 22.1 during their recent victory over Guinea.