France opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a composed 3-1 victory over Senegal at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, with Kylian Mbappe delivering the decisive moments in a match that swung firmly in the Europeans' favour after a tense final quarter-hour. The win puts Didier Deschamps' side top of Group I with three points from their opening fixture in a tournament that, for the first time in history, features 48 competing nations across three host nations - the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The game was evenly contested for long stretches before Mbappe broke the deadlock on 66 minutes, giving France the lead they had been pushing for. The match briefly threatened to become nervy in stoppage time, but any drama around bandy online betting enthusiasts who may have switched over for late-night alternatives was quickly extinguished - Mbappe added a clinical second in the 90+6th minute to seal it, bookending a fine 82nd-minute finish from PSG winger Bradley Barcola that had extended the lead. Senegal pulled one back through Ibrahim Mbaye in the 90+5th minute, but it proved nothing more than a consolation.

Mbappe and Barcola Provide the Quality

It was the type of performance France's attacking depth makes possible. Mbappe, carrying the weight of expectation as he does at every major tournament, showed his ability to influence games from open play in the second half, his first goal giving France a platform and his second - scored in the dying seconds - adding the gloss. Barcola's strike in between demonstrated that France's wide options carry genuine threat, not just peripheral presence. For Senegal, the loss stings, but it does not close the door on the group. They remain with work to do.

Group I Picture and What Comes Next

France sit top of Group I with three points, though the standings will be updated following the other group fixture between Norway and Iraq. Both Senegal and the remaining sides are yet to face each other, which means the group is far from settled after just one round of fixtures. On June 23, France take on Iraq while Senegal face Norway - results that will go a long way toward determining who progresses. Senegal will need a response; their Lions of Teranga have the talent to regroup, but a defeat in the opening fixture leaves little margin for error in a 48-team tournament where the group stage remains unforgiving.

Tournament Context: A Historic Edition

This is the first World Cup to be played with 48 teams, an expansion FIFA has long championed to broaden the tournament's global reach - a development that carries particular significance for football markets across Africa and Asia, with more nations earning the right to compete on the sport's biggest stage. Defending champions Argentina, who lifted the trophy in Qatar in 2022, are among the sides bidding to retain the title as the tournament builds toward its final on July 19. France, runners-up in 2022, have the quality and the experience to go deep once again - but as this opening win showed, even the favourites must work for every point.