France reaches World Cup 2026 among the leading contenders to lift the trophy and will aim to start their Group I campaign with three points when they take on Senegal in East Rutherford on Tuesday.
Didier Deschamps is overseeing his last major tournament before stepping down after the World Cup, and the France coach has the chance to add a second world title to the one he won in 2018.
While France remains packed with elite talent, Senegal will not be intimidated. The Teranga Lions are participating in a third consecutive World Cup and have become one of the most consistent international teams in Africa.
Their qualifying campaign ended unbeaten and they have kept five clean sheets in their last seven matches.
With Norway and Panama also in Group I, both teams know that avoiding defeat in the first match could prove crucial.
World Cup 2026: France-Senegal team news
France have received a major boost with William Saliba’s return to full training after concerns that a back problem could threaten his participation in the tournament.
Jules Kounde has also recovered from a minor muscle problem, while goalkeeper Mike Maignan’s absence from a recent training session was due solely to load management and is not expected to affect his availability.
Kylian Mbappe is set to lead the French attack and could equal Olivier Giroud’s national team scoring record with his next international goal.
For Senegal, Sadio Mane is in top form after missing the 2022 World Cup through injury and is expected to captain the team from an advanced role.
Assane Diao, Cherif Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye have all been dealing with minor physical issues in recent days, but none are expected to miss the Group I opener.
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson could start despite his recent red card again.
Predicted lineups for the France-Senegal 2026 World Cup
France starting eleven: Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, T Hernández; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Olise, Doué, Mbappé; Dembele
Senegal starting XI: Mendi Diatta, Koulibaly, Niakhaté, Diouf; Camera, P. Gueye; Sarr, Diarra, Mané; jackson
Where to watch France v Senegal: TV channel, live streams online
Kick-off on Tuesday is at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT). In the UK, live coverage is on BBC One.
Fans can stream the action on a wide range of devices via the BBC iPlayer app or BBC sport website.
World Cup 2026: France vs Senegal statistics
- Since 1998, France has reached the final in four of the seven editions (1998, 2006, 2018, 2022), at least twice as many as any other nation during that period.
- Their goal is to become the third team to reach the final in three consecutive editions, after West Germany (1982, 1986, 1990) and Brazil (1994, 1998, 2002).
- The top scorer at a FIFA World Cup is Frenchman Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals in the 1958 edition and scored in all six of France’s matches, including a hat-trick in the opening match against Paraguay and four goals in the third-place match against West Germany.
- Kylian Mbappé scored more goals (12) and recorded more goal involvements (14) than any other player in the previous two World Cups, including a hat-trick in the 2022 final.
- This will be Didier Deschamps’ fourth World Cup as coach; only Carlos Alberto Parreira (6) and Bora Milutinovic (5) have more. Deschamps is also one of three people to win the tournament as a player and coach, along with Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer.
- Senegal has qualified for its fourth World Cup, after 2002 (quarterfinals), 2018 (group stage) and 2022 (round of 16).
- This is their third consecutive World Cup, the longest streak of appearances by an African team along with Morocco and Tunisia.
- The Teranga Lions have only kept one clean sheet in their 12 World Cup matches, which came during their first match in the tournament, when they beat France in 2002.
- Senegal’s all-time leading scorer, Sadio Mane, missed the 2022 World Cup due to injury. His only participation came in 2018, playing in all three group stage games and scoring a goal, against Japan.
- This will be Pape Thiaw’s first World Cup as a coach. As a player, he appeared in one match, providing the assist for Henri Camara’s golden goal against Sweden in 2002, which sent Senegal to the quarter-finals as part of his best performance in a single edition of the tournament.
World Cup 2026: France-Senegal prediction
Senegal possess enough quality to cause problems for almost any team and should create opportunities against a French defense that has not always looked impeccable in recent games.
However, the attacking depth available to Deschamps is exceptional, and with Mbappé, Dembélé, Olise and Doue able to produce quality moments, France should have plenty of firepower over the course of 90 minutes and start their World Cup campaign with a victory.
Prediction: France 3-1 Senegal
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