France

France defeated Senegal 3-1 in their Group I opener at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 16, 2026, though the final scoreline concealed a fiercely contested match where Senegal dominated the opening 45 minutes. Kylian Mbappé delivered a record-breaking brace to become France’s all-time leading scorer with 58 goals and extend his World Cup tally to 14 strikes, but his decisive contribution arrived only after Michael Olise’s tactical repositioning into central spaces unlocked the Senegalese defense. Substitute Bradley Barcola added a second goal that demonstrated France’s exceptional squad depth, while Senegal’s failure to convert first-half chances through Nicolas Jackson and Ismaila Sarr ultimately proved costly. The result gives France three crucial points and momentum in a competitive group, while Senegal must quickly recover their composure before facing Norway in a high-pressure second fixture. For complete fixture information including Kenya kick-off times, see full match details and Kenya kick-off time.