France vs. Canada
International Friendly
June 9, 2024 at 9:15 p.m. CEST/3:15 p.m. ET
Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux, France
Watch Live: OneSoccer & TVA Sports
The Canadian men’s national team go from one massive European stage to another on Sunday, as their opportunity for redemption after the loss to the Netherlands comes against even tougher competition. Les Rouges are in Bordeaux to take on France, the second-best national team in the world as of the latest FIFA rankings, in what will be just their second game under Jesse Marsch — but also their last before they take on Argentina at the Copa América. Perhaps there’s no better way for Canada to prepare to take on the reigning world champions than to play against the side that nearly beat them in the World Cup final. France took Argentina all the way to penalties at Qatar 2022 after winning the World Cup themselves in 2018, and they’ve remained one of the best teams in international football since. Canada’s men’s team have played France just once before: in the group stage of the 1986 World Cup, where Jean-Pierre Papin scored the only goal in a fairly impressive 1-0 loss against a French side that finished third at that tournament. This will be a star-studded match, as not only is it Canada’s final tune-up before Copa América, but it’s also France coach Didier Deschamps’ final chance to evaluate his own team before they play at Euro 2024. So, expect to see some of the best players in the game take to the pitch at some point. There are plenty of those for Canada to be aware of, too. Not least of which is Kylian Mbappé, whose much-anticipated move from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid was finally announced this week. Typically counted among the best players in the world, his explosive pace and dynamism on the ball could cause havoc for a Canadian backline that struggled to contain the Dutch attack on Thursday. All but one of France’s players currently play for a team in Europe’s top five leagues, including 10 that just won a title in those leagues — with Real Madrid, PSG or Inter Milan. The Canadian players won’t be wholly unfamiliar with their foes in blue, of course. Tajon Buchanan is a teammate of Benjamin Pavard and Marcus Thuram at Inter, while Alphonso Davies’ Bayern Munich teammates Kingsley Coman and Dayot Upamecano are also involved — although, if rumours are to be believed, it may be the likes of Mbappé, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy he could be calling teammates in Madrid by the end of the summer… This will be the second friendly match of this international window for Les Bleus, who beat Luxembourg 3-0 on Wednesday. Their other two games in 2024 were friendlies in the March window, where they lost 2-0 to Germany but beat Chile 3-2. They qualified for this month’s Euro 2024 tournament by topping their group with a 7-1-0 record, including a 4-0 victory over the Dutch side that just beat Canada by the same scoreline. All that’s to say, this will be a very tricky match for the Canadians. It’s likely that Marsch will opt for a similar tactical setup to what he deployed against the Netherlands, although he might make a few personnel changes to ensure all the players he wants to call on in the Copa América have some minutes in his system. Among the questions for Marsch to consider is whether to make changes in his backline; if Derek Cornelius and Moïse Bombito are his preferred centre-back pairing, they’ll likely get the start together again, unless Marsch wants to give someone like Kamal Miller a chance there. On the left wing, Jacob Shaffelburg was outstanding after he came on at halftime against the Netherlands, so it seems likely he’ll play a role against France. Once again, there will be little margin for error for Canada against a French team that can punish even the strongest sides in the world with just one or two chances. Regardless of what happens, it’ll be another huge moment in the formation of this Canada team. Players have a chance to test themselves against the very best in the world; will they be brave in this opportunity?
PROJECTED LINEUPS
France: Maignan; Koundé, Saliba, Konaté, Hernández; Tchouaméni, Kanté; Coman, Griezmann, Mbappé; Thuram
Canada: St. Clair; Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Davies; Buchanan, Eustáquio, Koné, Shaffelburg; David, Larin
ALL-TIME SERIES
France wins: 1 || Canada wins: 0 || Draws: 0
Last meeting:
June 1, 1986 – Canada 0-1 France