Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
France opened their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a 3–1 victory over Senegal in New York New Jersey as Kylian Mbappé produced a sensational brace in a statement win for Les Bleus. The result gave France national football team a strong start to their group-stage campaign under pressure from a lively Senegal side.
Senegal began the match with high intensity and created several early chances in a fast and physical opening spell. Nicolas Jackson hit the post after beating Mike Maignan, while another effort was ruled out for offside.
Ismaïla Sarr also missed a key opportunity as Senegal continued to threaten France’s defensive structure. France struggled to impose control during the early stages despite their technical superiority. The breakthrough came after France improved after halftime and began to control possession more effectively. Michael Olise and Désiré Doué played key roles in creating attacking momentum for Les Bleus.
Mbappé opened the scoring after finishing a move involving Olise to bring him level in France’s all-time scoring charts. The goal marked a major milestone as he equalled Olivier Giroud’s international record.
He then struck again with a powerful effort from outside the box to reach 58 international goals and become France’s all-time leading scorer. His brace put France firmly in control of the match heading into the final stages.
Senegal managed to pull a goal back to make the contest more competitive but were unable to complete a full comeback. France responded with a third goal to seal a 3–1 victory and confirm their dominance. The win ensures France start their World Cup 2026 campaign with maximum points in Group play. It also strengthens their position as one of the tournament favourites.
Mbappé’s performance also moves him closer to the all-time FIFA World Cup scoring record held by Miroslav Klose. With 14 World Cup goals, he remains among the most prolific scorers in tournament history.
