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The French national team worries its fans with the unexpected defeat against the Ivory Coast
Days before the start of the 2026 World Cup in France, comparisons began to be made between the current generation of the French national team and the famous scenario of the 2002 World Cup, when the Roosters entered the tournament as extraordinary contenders for the crown before being knocked out in the first round in one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
The last friendly defeat was against Ivory Coast with a score of 1-2 It brought back painful memories for French fans and raised questions about whether the national team was on the same path that led them to failure 24 years ago.
Again… France is the most obvious candidate
France enter the current World Cup with the general consensus that they are one of the strongest contenders to win the title after performing at strong levels in recent months, with notable wins against Brazil and Colombia, in addition to having one of the strongest rosters in the world.
This scene looks very familiar. France entered the 2002 World Cup as defending champions and European champions and fielded an elite group of the world’s best players at the time, before encountering a completely different reality on the pitch.
An offensive force that terrifies opponents
The current France squad has an exceptional attacking arsenal, led by Kylian Mbappe, along with Ousmane Dembele, Michel Olisse and Ryan Czerky, who made the difference for their clubs last season.
This battalion recalls the legendary attacking generation of 2002, which included Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and Djibril Cisse, as well as Zinedine Zidane, one of the most popular stars in world football at the time.
A friendly defeat brings back memories
The defeat to Ivory Coast was not just a passing result for French observers, but rather brought to the fore the memory of losing to Belgium by the same result before the start of the 2002 World Cup.
At the time, the loss was seen as a mere friendly blip and nothing to worry about, but later events showed that the team faced problems during the tournament.
That’s why some see the Ivory Coast defeat as an early warning bell for the French national team before it enters official competition.
Senegal again…worrying coincidence
The resemblance to the 2002 edition increases when it comes to the opening match, as France will begin their 2026 World Cup campaign against Senegal, the same opponents who inflicted one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history 24 years ago.
In that World Cup, the French lost 1-0 to Senegal before exiting the tournament in the group stage without achieving a single victory.
Despite the different circumstances and the current generation, the replay of the opening confrontation brought many memories to the French sports street.
Why can’t the scenario be repeated?
Despite all the similarities, there are important factors that make the situation different this time.
The new tournament system, which features 48 teams with an increase in the number for the knockout stages, gives the big teams more opportunity to correct any early mistakes.
The French team, under the leadership of Didier Deschamps, has learned to get out of the group stage in all major tournaments in recent years, and has a lot of experience in dealing with pressure and decisive matches.
In addition, Deschamps is playing his last tournament at the helm of the coaching staff, which gives him extra motivation to end his international career on a perfect note.
