Overview
- France beat Northern Ireland 3-1 in Lille on Monday as Michael Olise scored his first international hat-trick to seal the victory.
- Didier Deschamps called Olise "radiant" and said the winger has built confidence at Bayern that makes him decisive for France going into the World Cup.
- Kylian Mbappé failed to score in the warm-ups but Deschamps said he was not worried and quoted Mbappé saying he was "saving" his finishing for the tournament.
- Northern Ireland earned praise for bravery from manager Michael O'Neill after Patrick Kelly scored his maiden international goal, though O'Neill noted his squad lacks the depth to match France late in games.
- Match coverage also noted Malo Gusto’s substitute involvement and a reported FIFA paid option to display fan names on stadium screens for the 2026 tournament, which has been described in media reports but not confirmed by FIFA in these articles.