France made a winning start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Senegal on Tuesday. While the Lions of Teranga kept the world runners-up under pressure for much of the match, they were unable to cope once Les Bleus raised their level. Kylian Mbappé seized the opportunity to surpass Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time leading scorer.

Didier Deschamps’ perfect record continues. In what will be his final tournament as head coach of the French national team, Les Bleus maintained an impressive tradition, winning their opening match for the seventh consecutive major international competition. France defeated Senegal 3-1 on Tuesday, June 16, in their opening fixture of the World Cup.

The United States and FIFA delivered another football spectacle for fans in New York and New Jersey. At MetLife Stadium, which will host the World Cup final on July 19, spectators were treated to a clash between the reigning world runners-up and the former African champions of 2025. Following the highly anticipated Morocco-Brazil encounter over the weekend, local fans were once again treated to top-class international football.

Twenty-four years after Senegal’s famous victory over France at the 2002 World Cup, the Lions of Teranga were determined to make history repeat itself. They started brightly and immediately put France under pressure. Their team play was well-organized, with dangerous attacking movements throughout the opening stages. Theo Hernandez had to make an emergency clearance from a Diouf cross in the sixth minute, while Dayot Upamecano produced several crucial defensive interventions.

As the minutes passed, France gradually found some breathing room. However, the French attacking quartet struggled to find its rhythm. The connection between Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé, in particular, appeared out of sync. The Real Madrid forward failed to control a brilliant pass from his teammate in the 13th minute, before Dembélé misplaced a pass despite Mbappé’s perfectly timed run four minutes later.

Senegal, meanwhile, looked sharper in attack. Following a turnover by Mbappé, the Lions quickly launched an attack down the left flank. Nicolas Jackson outmuscled Upamecano and fired a powerful shot toward goal. Mike Maignan was rescued by his post and a stroke of luck, as the ball could easily have rebounded off him and into the net in the 26th minute.

Édouard Mendy at His Best

After that major scare, the cooling break came at the right moment. The match settled into a slower rhythm, with France operating from a cautious, low defensive block. Sadio Mané tested Maignan with a shot that the French goalkeeper gathered comfortably in the 40th minute. Moments later, Kalidou Koulibaly awkwardly cleared what appeared to be a harmless Michael Olise cross. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Ismaïla Sarr squandered a golden opportunity from close range after excellent work by Mané.

France emerged from the dressing room with renewed intent. Désiré Doué drove through the middle and unleashed a shot that narrowly missed the target in the 47th minute. Michael Olise came even closer six minutes later, only to be denied by Édouard Mendy.

The Senegal goalkeeper was in outstanding form. Played through by Olise, Mbappé found himself in an ideal scoring position but was once again denied by Mendy, who reacted quickly to smother the chance in the 57th minute. The same scenario unfolded ten minutes later. In between, the French captain thought he had won a penalty after appearing to be brought down inside the box by Sadio Mané. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the referee ruled in Senegal’s favor.

Mbappé Breaks Giroud’s Record

France finally enjoyed a sustained spell of pressure. Michael Olise repeatedly delivered pinpoint passes, and one of them found Mbappé in behind the Senegalese defense. This time, the French captain made no mistake, firing first-time past Mendy in the 66th minute to give France the lead.

At just 27 years old, Mbappé matched Olivier Giroud’s tally of 57 international goals, drawing level as the top scorer in the history of the French national team.

Yet there was little time for celebration. Nicolas Jackson broke free down the right flank and unleashed a thunderous effort from a tight angle. Maignan remained unfazed, while the assistant referee's offside flag spared France any further concern. Later, Diouf whipped a dangerous cross across the face of goal from the left, but no Senegalese player was able to apply the finishing touch.

Dembélé, largely anonymous throughout the match, made way for Bradley Barcola. The Paris Saint-Germain winger effectively ended Senegal’s hopes on a swift counterattack. Released by Adrien Rabiot and benefiting from Mbappé’s intelligent movement, Barcola raced through on goal and delicately chipped Mendy to make it 2-0 in the 82nd minute.

Just when France appeared to be cruising to victory, Mbaye struck in stoppage time, beating Maignan to reduce the deficit to 2-1 in the 95th minute. However, Mbappé quickly extinguished any hopes of a Senegalese comeback. One minute later, he unleashed a stunning 25-meter strike that flew into the back of the net, sealing a 3-1 victory.

The goal was Mbappé’s 58th for France, making him the outright leading scorer in the history of the national team.

Following their opening victory, France moved to the top of Group I while awaiting the result of Iraq versus Norway later in the evening. Les Bleus will next face Iraq on June 22, while Senegal will look to bounce back against Erling Haaland’s Norway.