France open Deschamps’s farewell World Cup against a dangerous Senegal
Didier Deschamps begins his farewell tournament as France open Group I against a Senegal side that knows exactly how to upset the favourites, with kick-off at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Jun 15, 2026
Two of the tournament’s heavyweights collide on the opening night of Group I when France face Senegal at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. For Indian viewers it is a 12:30am IST start on Wednesday, and it is about as testing an opener as a title contender could draw.
Deschamps starts his goodbye
Didier Deschamps has already announced that this is his last act as France manager. He confirmed back in January 2025 that he would leave once the tournament ended, which gives a side that won the World Cup in 2018 and lost the 2022 final an obvious extra motivation. Win it, and Deschamps walks away having bookended his reign with the trophy.
He has the players to do it. Kylian Mbappe captains a squad named on May 14 that also features Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola, with Rayan Cherki and Jean-Philippe Mateta adding more attacking weight from the bench. The warm-ups carried a warning, though. France were beaten 2-1 by Ivory Coast in Nantes before Olise’s hat-trick saw off Northern Ireland, a reminder that all that forward talent still has to defend as a team.
Senegal are nobody’s easy draw
Senegal arrive under Pape Thiaw, who was part of the squad that reached the 2002 quarter-finals and now leads a group rich in Premier League experience. Kalidou Koulibaly captains the side, Edouard Mendy is behind him in goal, and Idrissa Gueye still sets the tempo in midfield. Up front, Sadio Mane remains the figurehead at 34, alongside the likes of Ismaila Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye.
Their own build-up was uneven. Senegal lost 3-2 to the United States and could only draw with Saudi Arabia, results that suggest the defence has questions to answer. What they will not lack is belief. Senegal know how to humble France on this stage, having beaten the reigning champions in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup before running all the way to the quarter-finals.
What to watch for
France are favourites and should have too much in attack over 90 minutes, but openers rarely run to script and Senegal have the pace to punish any sloppiness at the back. Iraq and Norway complete Group I, so neither side will want to drop points in a fixture that could decide who tops the group. Expect France to dominate the ball and Senegal to look dangerous on the counter.