Mbappé’s belter steals show as fluid France see off late Senegal challenge 3-1
France launched their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in impressive fashion with a commanding 3-1 victory over Senegal in Group I at the New York New Jersey Stadium. Kylian Mbappé once again proved why he remains one of world football’s biggest stars, scoring twice and leading Les Bleus to a strong opening win.
The match carried extra significance as it revived memories of Senegal’s famous 1-0 shock victory over France in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup. This time, however, Didier Deschamps’ side ensured there would be no repeat upset.
Senegal started brightly and troubled the French defence with their pace and physicality. Nicolas Jackson and Ismaïla Sarr both came close during a competitive first half, while France struggled to find rhythm despite enjoying spells of possession. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan was forced into important saves to keep the score level.
France raised the tempo after the break and finally made the breakthrough in the 66th minute when Mbappé finished clinically following excellent work from Michael Olise. The goal also saw Mbappé surpass Olivier Giroud to become France’s all-time leading scorer with 58 international goals.
The French attack continued to dominate and substitute Bradley Barcola doubled the advantage in the 82nd minute after being set up by Adrien Rabiot. Senegal refused to surrender and grabbed a late consolation goal through Ibrahim Mbaye deep into stoppage time.
Any hopes of a Senegal comeback were quickly ended as Mbappé responded almost immediately with a stunning long-range strike to seal the 3-1 result and cap a memorable personal performance.
France’s victory places them in a strong early position in Group I, which also includes Iraq and Norway. The performance reinforced their status as one of the favourites to challenge for the World Cup title once again. Senegal, despite the defeat, showed enough quality and determination to suggest they will remain dangerous opponents in the remaining group matches.
