France got off to a strong start at the 2026 World Cup, beating Senegal 3-1 in their Group I opener. Kylian Mbappe was the hero with a brace, taking his World Cup goal tally to 14, just two shy of Miroslav Klose's record.
In the first half, Senegal dominated and nearly opened the scoring when Nicolas Jackson hit the post in the 25th minute. Ismaila Sarr also missed a golden chance in first-half stoppage time. However, France transformed after the break thanks to tactical adjustments by coach Didier Deschamps.
In the 66th minute, Michael Olise delivered a brilliant assist for Mbappe to break the deadlock. Adrien Rabiot then set up Bradley Barcola to make it 2-0 in the 84th minute. Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back for Senegal in the fifth minute of stoppage time (90+5), but Mbappe sealed the 3-1 win with a stunning long-range strike a minute later (90+6).
With his two goals, Mbappe became France's all-time top scorer with 58 goals, surpassing the previous record. He also equaled Gerd Mueller's 14 World Cup goals, now trailing only Klose (16) and Ronaldo (15).
France, one of the tournament favorites, will face Iraq next before taking on Erling Haaland's Norway. Senegal, fresh from winning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations—though later stripped of the title for abandoning a match—proved a tough opponent, nearly springing a surprise against the defending world champions.
