Mbappé Makes History as France Beats Senegal 3-1 in World Cup Opener
The stage was set for a rousing match between France and Senegal in the teams’ tournament debut in the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s game commenced with a sluggish, uneventful first half. Fifty-five minutes into the match, the scoreboard still read 0-0. What was predicted to be an exciting match was a dull one in the first half, but that didn’t dampen the excitement of the crowds at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where the match was held, and in the greater New York City area.
In attendance at the stadium were NFL legend Eli Manning, French former football manager and player Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger, and Senegalese footballer star El Hadji Diouf. France’s Sports Minister Marina Ferrari was on hand during pre-match fan festivities in New York City before the game.
Opening match highlights and standouts
The game picked up in the second half and ultimately saw three successful goals from Team France, bringing France’s score to three, and Senegal’s to one. France took twelve shots to Senegal’s seven, and led in game stats like passes, tackles, and clearances.
Kylian Mbappé – France’s star player, who’s often referred to mononymously as simply “Mbappé” – was a standout at this week’s game, as expected. The 27-year-old Paris native who plays for Real Madrid and captains France’s National Team is one of the biggest stars in soccer today. He’s best known for his lightning-fast speed and his goal-scoring execution. Mbappé won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France at the tender age of 19 and was the first teenager since Brazil’s Pelé to score in a World Cup final.
Team Senegal has its own lineup of soccer stars, too, including all-time leading scorer Sadio Mané, longtime captain Kalidou Koulibaly, and talented goalkeeper Édouard Mendy.
Yet it was France’s Mbappé who made history at this week’s game when he scored twice in a 3-1 match, which put him ahead of Olivier Giroud to become France’s leading men’s international goal scorer with a total of 58 goals. After one of his goals during the World Cup opener, he mimed playing a flute – a nod to his childhood flute lessons, and the fulfillment of a promise he made to late-night TV show host and comedian, James Corden.
Les Bleus’ Bradley Barcola, a 23-year-old from Villeurbanne, France, who plays for PSG, scored the second goal for France in the team’s opening match.
France’s World Cup history
France is no stranger to the FIFA World Cup. The country was one of the four European teams that took part in the inaugural World Cup tournament in 1930. France has won the World Cup twice: first in 1998 (as host nation), then in 2018.
The 1998 team was led by Zinedine Zidane, who scored twice in the final match against Brazil. In 2018, it won in Russia, after defeating Croatia in the final. Famously, France lost in 2006 following a well-publicized headbutting incident involving Zidane. And notably, Didier Deschamps was one of the few people to win the World Cup as a player in 1998, and as a coach 10 years later.
France’s broader history with Senegal
In Senegal, French is the country’s official language because it was a French colony for approximately 300 years and was one of France’s most prominent territories in West Africa. People from Senegal served in the French military during both world wars.
Senegal declared its independence from France in 1960 (via political negotiation, rather than war or other means), but maintains a close relationship through immigration, culture, and a shared language. Today, you’ll find many Senegalese living in France who enrich the fabric of the country. Due to the countries’ intertwined histories, this week’s match between France and Senegal was of extra significance, both on and off the soccer field.
In Team Senegal’s official social media, they acknowledged the match’s loss gracefully and graciously, saying, “End of the first act. Lost 3-1 against France. Our Lions fought to the very end, but the adventure has just begun. Let’s stand behind our team and hold our heads high. Tous derrière les Lions !”
What’s next for Team France
France is one of four teams in Group I, which also includes Senegal, Norway, and Iraq. France faces the latter two countries in matches later this month, playing Iraq on June 22 and Norway on June 26.
Lead photo credit : The French team celebrates their 2018 FIFA World Cup win in Russia after defeating Croatia 4–2 in the final. Wikimedia commons
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