2018 World Champions France, who were denied back-to-back titles four years ago by losing on penalties to Argentina, begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign by facing Africa Cup of Nations finalists Senegal.
This is a repeat of the opening game of the 2002 World Cup in Japan/South Korea, where the then holders were stunned by the debutant nation, with a 1-0 win thanks to a famous goal from the late Papa Bouba Diop.
France went on to finish bottom of their group at that World Cup; a repeat of that this time around seems unfathomable. For Senegal, they will be hoping to continue a good period at the FIFA World Cup for the Lions of Teranga.
Team newsSenegal
For Pape Thiaw, there are no major concerns in terms of team news, although Idrissa Gueye was missing during their recent training session, although he is expected to be fit.
France
France also had players with a couple of issues. Jules Kounde suffered a muscle strain during their recent friendly win over Northern Ireland, while Mike Maignan missed training, though both are also expected to be fit. The biggest concern is William Saliba, who has been nursing a back injury through the later stages of Arsenal’s season, including the Champions League final.
Likely line-upsSenegal
Edouard Mendy; Krépin Diatta, Kalidou Koulibaly, Moussa Niakhaté, El Hadji Malick Diouf; Lamine Camara, Pape Gueye; Ismaïla Sarr, Habib Diarra, Sadio Mané; Nicolas Jackson
France
Mike Maignan; Jules Koundé, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernández; Aurélien Tchouaméni, Adrien Rabiot; Michael Olise, Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé; Kylian Mbappé.
Senegal will be hoping to use the hopes of 2002
It’s no disrespect to suggest that Senegal’s quality is second best to France; however, that was also the case in 2002 when Senegal secured that shock 1-0 win.
One thing about them is that they tend to score in the majority of their matches, with the Saudi 0-0 draw the first time that they had not scored since November 2025, depending on how you portray the AFCON final against Morocco, where they did score, and won 1-0 before being overturned.
Since a 2-0 loss to Brazil at the Emirates, they’ve been on a 13-game run, and they have an attack full of quality, led by Premier League winner and legend Sadio Mané, but also contains Crystal Palace winger Ismaïla Sarr, highly rated PSG youngster Ibrahim Mbaye, and Everton’s number 10, Iliman Ndiaye, just to name a few.
The balancing of attacking options will be a challenge for Deschamps.
France has the best depth of attackers for any national team at the FIFA World Cup. It’s incredible when you look at potential bench options that would start for the majority of national teams in world football.
For Didier Deschamps, the most important thing for success is going to be a balancing act; the key battles come in the number 10 position and at left wing.
Ousmane Dembélé will be expected to start in that centre role with Kylian Mbappé as a long striker. One of the players hoping to get a look in will be Rayan Cherki, who enjoyed an incredible debut season with Manchester City, scoring 11 and assisting 17 in 56 games, as Pep Guardiola ended his decade at the club with a Carabao Cup and an FA Cup.
If Cherki were to come in, then it would potentially require one of Michael Olise or Désiré Doué to be dropped. Doué is expected to start at left wing, and one of his competitors for that position is his PSG teammate Bradley Barcola.
It’s more to do with style than anything. Olise, Doué, and Dembélé are all ball-to-feet players, while Mbappé is more of a run-in-behind, so starting Barcola would add the perfect balance of runners and ball-to-feet, which might be crucial to their chances of going all the way at the World Cup.
Match informationWhen is the match?
The game will take place on June 16th at 8PM UK time.
How can I watch the match?
For viewers in the United Kingdom, the match will be available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. VAVEL will also be offering comprehensive coverage, both pre-match and post-match.
Where is the match?
The game will take place in New York/New Jersey at MetLife Stadium, the location of the 2026 World Cup Final.