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France arrive at World Cup 2026 among the leading contenders to lift the trophy and will be aiming to begin their Group I campaign with three points when they face Senegal in East Rutherford on Tuesday.
Didier Deschamps is overseeing his final major tournament before stepping down after the World Cup, and the France boss has an opportunity to add a second world title to the one he won in 2018.
While France remain packed with elite talent, Senegal will not be intimidated. The Lions of Teranga are appearing at a third successive World Cup and have developed into one of Africa’s most consistent international sides.
Their qualification campaign was completed 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 opener could prove crucial.
World Cup 2026: France v Senegal team news
France have been handed a major boost with William Saliba returning to full training after concerns that a back issue 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 only due 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 fully fit after missing the 2022 World Cup through injury and is expected to captain the side from an advanced role.
Assane Diao, Cherif Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye have all been managing minor fitness concerns in recent days, but none are currently expected to miss the Group I opener.
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson is tipped to start despite his recent red card again
France v Senegal World Cup 2026 predicted line-ups
France starting XI: Cousins; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, T Hernandez; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Olise, God, Mbappe; Dembele
Senegal starting XI: Mendy; Diatta, Koulibaly, Niakhate, Diouf; Camera, P Gueye; Sarr, Diarra, Mane; Jackson
Where to watch France v Senegal: TV channel, live online streams
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 vast range of devices through the BBC iPlayer app or BBC Sport website.
World Cup 2026: France v Senegal stats
- Since 1998, France have reached the final in four of the seven editions (1998, 2006, 2018, 2022), which is at least twice as often as any other nation during that period
- They are aiming to become only 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 in a single FIFA World Cup is France’s Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals in the 1958 edition and found the net in all six of France’s games, including a hat-trick in the opening match against Paraguay and four goals in the third-place play-off against West Germany
- Kylian Mbappe scored more goals (12) and recorded more goal involvements (14) than any other player across the previous two World Cup tournaments, including a hat-trick in the 2022 final
- This will be Didier Deschamps’ fourth World Cup as head coach – only Carlos Alberto Parreira (6) and Bora Milutinovic (5) have more. Deschamps is also one of three individuals to win the tournament as a player and head coach, alongside Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer
- Senegal have qualified for their fourth World Cup, after 2002 (quarter-final), 2018 (group stage) and 2022 (round of 16)
- This is their third World Cup in a row, which is the joint-longest ongoing streak of appearances for an African team alongside Morocco and Tunisia
- The Lions of Teranga have kept only one clean sheet in their 12 matches at the World Cup, which came during their first-ever match at the tournament, when they beat France in 2002
- All-time Senegal top scorer Sadio Mane missed the 2022 World Cup through injury. His sole participation came in 2018, playing all three group matches and scored once, against Japan
- This will be Pape Thiaw’s first World Cup as a head coach. As a player, he featured in one match – providing the assist for Henri Camara’s golden goal against Sweden in 2002, which sent Senegal into the quarter-finals as part of their best performance at a single edition of the tournament
World Cup 2026: France v Senegal prediction
Senegal possess enough quality to trouble almost any side and should create opportunities against a France defence that has not always looked flawless in recent matches.
However, the attacking depth available to Deschamps is exceptional, and with Mbappe, Dembele, Olise and Doue all capable of producing moments of quality, France should have too much firepower over the course of 90 minutes and begin their World Cup campaign with a win.
Prediction: France 3-1 Senegal
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