France vs Northern Ireland: Key stat reveals why NI have been selected as Les Bleus’ final warm-up opponents

On Monday, 8 July, France will take on Northern Ireland in what will be their final warm-up match before they begin their 2026 World Cup campaign against Senegal on Tuesday, 16 July.

After losing to the Ivory Coast on Thursday night, Didier Deschamps will be desperate for his side to regain confidence before the World Cup begins, and Northern Ireland may be the perfect opponents.

Beyond the difference in stature and position in the world rankings, there is one stat that perhaps explains why the French Football Federation asked Northern Ireland to be their final World Cup warm-up match. Let's take a look.

Are Northern Ireland the perfect opponents for France?

France and Northern Ireland have faced each other eight times in history, and Les Bleus have not lost any of them. This record makes Northern Ireland the best possible opponents for France to face, as they don't boast an unbeaten record against any other nation that they have faced eight times or more.

Granted, none of the players involved in this match have been involved in any of the previous meetings between the two nations, but that isn't all that significant, particularly when you consider that Northern Ireland are winless in their last 15 matches against nations ranked inside the world's top 10.

This run stretches all the way back to 2006, when the Green and White Army triumphed over Spain in a Euro 2008 qualifier. Of these 15 matches, 12 were defeats, which means a comfortable French victory should be expected this week.

The bookies are understandably backing France to win the match on Monday night. Deschamps' side are priced as short as 1/8 to get the win on the night, but adding a handicap of -2.5 yields odds of 13/10.

In terms of other bets, Kylian Mbappe to score is always a good bet when he lines up for France. The Real Madrid man has scored six goals in his last seven appearances for the national team and is best priced at 4/6 to score anytime on Monday.