France got their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign off to a flying start with a convincing 3-1 victory over Senegal in New Jersey on June 16.
Kylian Mbappé stole the headlines with two clinical goals, underlining once again why he remains one of the finest players in world football.
France looked nervy throughout the first half, struggling to cope with Senegal’s pace and directness as the African side caused plenty of problems in transition.
The second half told a very different story, however, as Didier Deschamps’ side seized control and completely outplayed their opponents to secure all three points.
France, who won the World Cup in 2018 and finished as runners-up in 2022, will be brimming with confidence after making such an impressive start to the tournament.
Michael Olise was the creative heartbeat of the French attack, with his assist for Mbappé’s opener standing out as a genuine moment of quality in an excellent individual display.
Substitute Bradley Barcola also made a massive impact after coming off the bench, scoring a goal that effectively killed off any hopes Senegal had of staging a comeback.
Mbappé now has 14 goals in World Cup matches, placing him behind only Miroslav Klose on 16 and Ronaldo on 15 in the history of the competition.
Aurélien Tchouaméni grew increasingly influential as the game wore on, his ball-winning ability and positional discipline allowing France to dictate the tempo in the second period.
Dayot Upamecano looked dominant aerially and improved significantly after the break, while William Saliba’s composure helped France play out from the back under sustained pressure.
Adrien Rabiot worked hard throughout and contributed an important creative moment, providing the assist for Barcola’s decisive third goal to help France close out the win.
Ousmane Dembélé caused Senegal problems all evening with his pace and direct running, consistently stretching their defensive line and creating space for his attacking teammates.
Desire Doue worked hard and helped maintain attacking pressure, but lacked that final bit of quality needed to truly threaten Senegal’s goalkeeper with any real conviction.
Deschamps will have much to be positive about after what was, despite a difficult opening period, ultimately a dominant and impressive World Cup opening performance from Les Bleus.
