France Team and Olise Ready for Departure to 2026 World Cup

Two days before their departure for America, the France national team counted on the brilliance of Michael Olise, who scored a stunning hat-trick to defeat Northern Ireland 3-1 during their second and final warm-up match for the World Cup, held on June 8, 2026, in Lille. The match was published on June 8, 2026, at 23:22 and modified at 23:25.

The French team needed to respond after their lackluster performance against Ivory Coast on Thursday in Nantes, where they suffered a 2-1 defeat, to regain confidence ahead of their flight to their training camp in Boston on Wednesday. Although the performance of Didier Deschamps’ men was not always polished and clear, the crucial wide victory helped boost morale. As it was the last time the manager would lead the team on French soil before stepping down after the North American tournament, his main objective was to see his players perfect their skills one last time.

With the return of two Parisian European champions, Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué, along with Arsenal defender William Saliba, all of whom were rested the previous Thursday, the coach decided to field the eleven that would likely carry the heavy responsibility of starting the World Cup on June 16 against Senegal in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Fearing an untimely injury, the French team, opposed to a very weak Northern Ireland side that has not been in a final phase since Euro 2016, did not impose a high pace. It took a blocked shot from Ousmane Dembélé, which landed at the feet of Michael Olise, for the Bayern Munich player to open the scoring and begin his scoring festival in the 43rd minute. The brilliant Bavarian forward was one of the few players to show concern and doubled the lead just after the break with a splendid left-footed half-volley in the 49th minute before completing his masterpiece with a curled shot from over 20 meters into the top corner in the 74th minute, bringing his total to seven goals in 17 caps.

Despite the French team improving significantly in the second half, a lack of vigilance and commitment allowed Kelly to narrow the gap by taking advantage of Dayot Upamecano’s defensive lapses after Rayan Cherki lost the ball in midfield in the 64th minute. Another disappointment of the evening was Kylian Mbappé, who did not manage to shine in either of the World Cup warm-up matches and failed to score, missing the chance to at least equal Olivier Giroud's record of 57 goals for France.

His attempts included a curled shot wide (9th), a completely missed volley (26th), a shot over the bar after a brilliant through ball from Olise (73rd), another into the stands (88th), and several attempts in clear offside positions after the break. Though he appeared physically fit, the superstar was not successful after a frustrating trophy-less season at Real Madrid, despite winning the top scorer title in the league for the second time.

Kylian Mbappé may be waiting for the stage of the World Cup, his favorite competition, to regain his good form.