France vs Senegal Preview

One of the most eagerly anticipated Group I fixtures takes place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Tuesday evening as France face Senegal. Two nations with deep cultural ties and a shared recent history of World Cup encounters collide in what promises to be one of the matches of the opening round, with Norway and Iraq the other two sides watching closely.

France arrive at this World Cup in commanding form across the vast majority of their recent outings. Their most recent outing produced a 3–1 home win over Northern Ireland — a composed and controlled display just eight days before the tournament. Prior to that, they suffered an unexpected 2–1 home defeat to Ivory Coast — the one blemish on an otherwise excellent run. Before that, they won 3–1 away in Colombia, and earlier in this run they claimed that standout 2–1 away win in Brazil — one of the results of the entire pre-tournament period. The sequence began with a 3–1 away win in Azerbaijan. Four wins from five, with eleven goals scored in those four victories — France arrive at this World Cup in formidable shape, led by Mbappé and supported by a forward line of Olise, Dembélé and Doué that is among the most talented in the world.

Senegal come into this opening fixture with a more mixed pre-tournament record. Their most recent outing ended in a goalless draw away in Saudi Arabia — a point gained but a performance short on quality heading into the opener. Prior to that, they suffered a 3–2 defeat away to the United States. Before that, however, they showed their best form — beating Gambia 3–1 at home and Peru 2–0 at home in back-to-back home wins. The sequence began with a 3–0 home defeat to Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations. Two wins, a draw and two defeats — Senegal have been inconsistent, but their squad depth, led by Mané, Jackson and Sarr, and marshalled defensively by Koulibaly and Mendy, gives them the quality to trouble any side on their day.

The head-to-head record between these sides in competitive football carries significant historical weight. The only recorded meeting in this dataset ended in a 1–0 home win for Senegal against France at the 2002 World Cup — a result that remains one of the tournament’s iconic upsets.

France are the clear favourites here, with their attacking depth and the quality of Mbappé and his supporting cast making them the most dangerous side in this group. Senegal, though, will draw motivation from that 2002 result and will not be short on belief. Koulibaly and the defensive structure will be tested severely by France’s forward line, but Senegal’s own attack carries genuine goal threat on the counter.

In France, the match is live on M6 and M6+, with streaming via Molotov, 6play and myCANAL, and beIN Sports 1 also carrying the action. In Senegal, viewers can watch on RTS 1 and SuperSport MaXimo 1. In the UK and Ireland, the game is available on BBC One and via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

Group I

Pos	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	France	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Norway	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Senegal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Iraq	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Lineups & Injuries

France (4-2-3-1) Maignan, Koundé, Saliba, Upamecano, Hernández, Tchouaméni, Rabiot, Dembélé, Olise, Doué, Mbappé

France: Saliba (Doubtful)

Senegal (4-3-3) Mendy, Diouf, Niakhaté, Koulibaly, Diatta, Diarra, Gueye, Mané, Sarr, Jackson, Gueye

Senegal: No injury concerns reported.

William Saliba’s minor injury that kept him from training in recent days is the main fitness concern for France, though he is expected to recover in time to start. The uncertainty at centre-back is slight but worth monitoring for a side that otherwise has a clean bill of health. Senegal report a fully fit squad and are expected to field their strongest available side.

France Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	France	3 – 1	Northern Ireland	International Friendly	Jun 8, 2026
❌	France	1 – 2	Ivory Coast	International Friendly	Jun 4, 2026
✅	Colombia	1 – 3	France	International Friendly	Mar 29, 2026
✅	Brazil	1 – 2	France	International Friendly	Mar 26, 2026
✅	Azerbaijan	1 – 3	France	International Friendly	Nov 16, 2025

Senegal Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
🤝	Saudi Arabia	0 – 0	Senegal	International Friendly	Jun 10, 2026
❌	USA	3 – 2	Senegal	International Friendly	May 31, 2026
✅	Senegal	3 – 1	Gambia	International Friendly	Mar 31, 2026
✅	Senegal	2 – 0	Peru	International Friendly	Mar 28, 2026
❌	Senegal	0 – 3	Morocco	Africa Cup of Nations	Jan 18, 2026

Head to Head

Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
France	0 – 1	Senegal	World Cup	May 31, 2002

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
France	M6, beIN Sports 1, M6+, Molotov, 6play, myCANAL
Senegal	RTS 1, SuperSport MaXimo 1
Great Britain	BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Web
Ireland	RTE 2, BBC One, RTE Player, BBC iPlayer
USA	FOX Network, fuboTV, Telemundo, FOX One
Germany	ORF eins, SRF zwei, MagentaTV
Italy	DAZN Italia, RAI 1, RaiPlay
Brazil	SporTV, Globo, Globoplay, CazéTV
Canada	TSN+, TSN1, RDS App
Japan	DAZN Japan, Fuji TV