New Jersey: Two-time champions France will face a challenge in their Group I opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
France, the 2022 finalists, boasts one of the most formidable attacking line-ups. Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe leads the charge, alongside PSG’s Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele and Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Olise.
Didier Deschamps ' side will look to dominate possession and control the tempo in the afternoon game on Tuesday here (Wednesday 12.30 IST kick off). The heat can be a factor, and the team that adapts will dictate terms. Deschamps has won the World Cup title twice as a player and coach for France.
Les Bleus are ranked third in the FIFA World Rankings and enter as clear favourites, and are one of the title contenders. But the 16th-ranked Senegal will try to replicate 2002 World Cup success, where they, as debutants, stunned the defending champions, France, 1-0.
The African powerhouse is captained by defender Kalidou Koulibaly, with attacking threat provided by veteran striker Sadio Mane. Pape Thiaw’s managed side is physically imposing, defensively organised, and can be lethal on counterattacks. Thiaw was part of the Senegal squad when they beat France, and he will have to mastermind the upset from outside the playing area.
France had a miserable outing in South Korea and Japan in 2002, but since then, they finished as runners-up in 2006 in Germany and won their second title in Russia back in 2018. They finished runners-up again in Qatar and are now aiming to become just the third team to reach three consecutive World Cup finals after West Germany and Brazil.
Mbappe is their prolific scorer in 2018 and 2022, scoring the most goals (12) over those two tournaments. Last time he played a World Cup game, he scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final against Argentina.
Senegal reached the quarterfinals in 2002 and the Round of 16 in the last edition. They had a strong qualifying campaign, going unbeaten and topping their group. They also initially won the Africa Cup of Nations2 025. However, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) later reversed the decision and awarded it to Morocco following late controversy around a penalty given to the hosts in the final that led to Senegal leaving the pitch.
Both sides didn’t have the best results in the World Cup warm-up games. France lost 2-1 to the Ivory Coast but beat Northern Ireland later. Senegal lost 3-2 to co-hosts USA and drew with Saudi Arabia. Those results will have less bearing as they open their World Cup campaign.
Squads
France:
Goalkeepers: Brice Samba, Mike Maignan, Robin Risser
Defenders: Malo Gusto, Lucas Digne, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde, Ibrahima Konate, William Saliba, Theo Hernandez, Lucas Hernandez, Maxence Lacroix
Midfielders: Manu Kone, Aurelien Tchouameni, N’Golo Kante, Adrien Rabiot, Warren Zaire-Emery, Rayan Cherki, Maghnes Akliouche
Forwards: Ousmane Dembele, Marcus Thuram, Kylian Mbappe, Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Michael Olise.
Manager: Didier Deschamps
Senegal:
Goalkeepers: Yehvann Diouf, Edouard Mendy, Mory Diaw,
Defenders: Mamadou Sarr, Kalidou Koulibaly, Abdoulaye Seck, Ismail Jakobs, Moussa Niakhate, Antoine Mendy, El Hadji Malick Diouf
Midfielders: Idrissa Gueye, Pathe Ciss, Lamine Camara, Krepin Diatta, Pape Matar Sarr, Habib Diarra, Bara Sapoko Ndiaye, Pape Gueye
Forwards: Assane Diao, Bamba Dieng, Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson, Cherif Ndiaye, Iliman Ndiaye, Ismaïla Sarr, Ibrahim Mbaye.
Manager: Pape Thiaw
