Ukraine take on the visitors France in a World Cup 2026 qualification match. The match will be played on Friday, September 5th at Tarczynski Arena (Wrocław).
Ukraine leave mixed impressions. The “Yellow-Blues” under Rebrov have been paradoxically inconsistent. They dramatically secured a Euro spot through hard-fought playoff wins against Bosnia and Iceland, both in extra time. At the tournament they collected four points — their highest tally ever in a group stage. Yet starting with a heavy defeat to Romania, they still finished bottom of the group, despite having the same points as the leaders. Their Nations League campaign also started poorly, but they managed to climb to second place. That set up a playoff with Belgium in March for a place in Division A: Ukraine won the first leg 3-1 but collapsed in the return fixture with a crushing defeat. June’s trip to Canada was also unimpressive: a 2-4 loss to the hosts followed by a narrow 2-1 win against New Zealand. Add in Ukrainian clubs’ failures in European qualifiers, Mudryk’s suspension, and limited playing time for Zinchenko, Lunin, and Dovbyk, and the picture looks grim. Yes, Zabarnyi’s move to PSG is a step forward, but whether it accelerates his development as much as his Premier League experience did remains in doubt. Ukraine have now lost three of their last five games, and their defense has conceded at least two goals in four of those matches. Their lack of stability is becoming a serious concern for Rebrov heading into stronger opposition.
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France are nearing the end of Deschamps’ reign, as he has announced he will step down after the next World Cup. Under him, France reached the finals of both previous World Cups, lifting the trophy in 2018. On the flip side, their Euro performances were far less convincing — though last year, despite questions about their play and lack of goals, they still reached the semifinals. In the Nations League, despite a poor start (losing at home to Italy and going down 0-2 in the first playoff leg against Croatia in March), Mbappé and company still managed to finish third by beating Germany away in the consolation final. France have now won five of their last six matches in all competitions, with Mbappé scoring in four of them. Their squad depth and experience usually allow them to overcome internal issues and stay consistent at the top level.
France have won half of the 12 meetings between the sides, with Ukraine managing just one victory. Even that lone win in the 2013 playoff was overturned by France’s revenge in the second leg, sending Ribéry and company to the World Cup. In the qualifiers four years ago, both matches ended 1-1. Right now, it is hard to believe in any kind of positive outcome for the “Yellow-Blues.” The favorite should win this nominal away fixture with a -1 handicap.
Prediction for the match: France to win with -1.0 handicap.
