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Favorites stumble: France stunned, Spain and Sweden held ahead of World Cup 2026

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • France suffered a surprising 1-2 defeat to Ivory Coast in a friendly match ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
  • Spain was held to a 1-1 draw against Iraq, and Sweden also failed to secure a win in their pre-tournament games.
  • These results serve as a wake-up call for favored European teams as the World Cup approaches.

European powerhouses France, Spain, and Sweden all stumbled in their final preparations for the 2026 World Cup, with France suffering a particularly surprising 1-2 loss to Ivory Coast in Nantes. The defeat casts a shadow over Didier Deschamps' squad, considered one of the tournament favorites.

Despite dominating early play and taking a 1-0 lead through Rayan Cherki just before halftime, France conceded two second-half goals. Guela Doue equalized for Ivory Coast in the 52nd minute, and Amad Diallo sealed the victory in the 83rd minute, leaving the French team with significant questions to answer.

Meanwhile, Spain also failed to impress, drawing 1-1 with Iraq in La Coruna. Ferran Torres opened the scoring for Spain in the 16th minute, but Merchas Doski equalized for Iraq with a powerful shot in the 27th minute. These unexpected results serve as a stark warning to favored teams as the global showpiece tournament draws near.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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