France and Senegal meet Tuesday, June 16 in a Group I World Cup fixture at MetLife Stadium, a match noted for its historic significance given the countries’ shared colonial history and frequent player ties. The teams’ only previous World Cup meeting came in 2002, when Senegal upset then-champions France 1-0 in Seoul through Papa Bouba Diop en route to a run to the quarterfinals.
Senegal arrive amid a period of transition under coach Pape Thiaw, blending younger players with established figures. The side won the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (staged in early 2022) and initially were declared 2025 champions after the tournament in December 2025–January 2026, but were later stripped of that title by the Confederation of African Football after a walk-off in the Rabat final against Morocco. The federation’s decision is under appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where arbitrator Raymond Hack has indicated confidence that Senegal could be reinstated.
France come into the tournament after losing the 2022 World Cup final. Didier Deschamps presides over a squad that has been built on 14 years of continuity at the helm, featuring significant depth across the pitch. William Saliba, recovering from a minor back issue, started in France’s 3-1 warmup win over Northern Ireland that featured a Michael Olise hat-trick.
The match kicks off at 21:00 CAT (20:00 BST, 15:00 local time in New Jersey) at MetLife Stadium. Broadcasters listed for the fixture include SuperSport channels 201, 202 and 235 and SportyTV in South Africa, BBC One in the U.K., FOX for English-language coverage in the U.S., New World TV and RTS in Senegal, and beIN SPORTS and M6 in France. France and Senegal are joined in Group I by Iraq and Norway; the top two teams from each of the 12 groups, plus the eight best third-placed teams, will progress to the first knockout round in the expanded 48-team tournament.
Expected lineups named ahead of the match list France with Mike Maignan in goal; defenders Theo Hernández, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba and Jules Koundé; midfielders Adrien Rabiot and Aurélien Tchouaméni; Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué in attacking roles, and Kylian Mbappé leading the line. Senegal’s projected XI includes Édouard Mendy; Ismail Jakobs, Moussa Niakhaté, Kalidou Koulibaly and Antoine Mendy at the back; Pape Matar Sarr, Lamine Camara and Pape Gueye in midfield; and Sadio Mané, Nicolas Jackson and Ismaïla Sarr in attack. Mbappé sits joint-sixth on the World Cup all-time scoring list with 12 goals and needs four to equal Miroslav Klose’s record of 16.
