EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — France is hoping that its opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the New York New Jersey Stadium (Metlife Stadium) on Tuesday
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – France Training – Bentley University, Waltham, Massachusetts, U.S. – June 12, 2026 France coach Didier Deschamps and Kylian Mbappe during training REUTERS/Peter CziborraFrance is hoping that its opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Tuesday afternoon against Senegal is just the first of the competition, especially considering the Final is being held in the Big Apple’s shadow on July 19.
Les Bleus enter the World Cup as one of the favorites to lift the trophy, which they did in 2018 in Russia and narrowly missed out on four years ago in Qatar when they lost in penalties to Lionel Messi and Argentina.
“It’s a reality, just like six or seven other countries, it’s their mission,” French manager Didier Deschamps said. “It’s quite legitimate to expect to win this title, but the way there is going to be hard, and of course, France has high-level potential because of the results that it has produced over the last two Deschamps has retained 11 players from his 2022 finalist squad for their foray on American shores.
France has one of the strongest overall rosters, headlined by the generational Kylian Mbappe and the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembele. There is also the presence of holding midfielder N’Golo Kanté, who was on the 2018 World Cup-winning team but was unable to play in Qatar due to a hamstring injury that required surgery.
“To be in the final is a target for most of the teams. We want to be there, but the way to get there can be very difficult,” Kante said.
“So we will take it game by game to get there, and the most important thing is to start well, to be in as good form as we can be to reach the Final. ” Their first test in Group I is a tricky one.
Senegal is one of the top teams in Africa and possesses a dynamic, speedy attack that is built through the likes of Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr, Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, and former Liverpool legend Sadio Mane The Lions of Teranga also have a bit of history to lean on. They shocked the then-defending champion French team 1-0 in the opening match of the 2002 World Cup, behind Papa Bouba Diop’s historic goal.
“I know that you like this word, revenge, but there’s no revenge in football,” Deschamps said. “I mean, this was 24 years ago. This will be another page to write now. And what happened in 2002, well, all the best for Senegal.
I mean, it was good for them at the time, but we’ll make sure that the results are positive for us this time. ”Joe Pantorno has been the executive sports editor of amNewYork since 2020. He covers the New York Mets and is a member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America . He is also a member of the Pro Hockey Writers’ Association and has covered the New York Islanders for nearly a decade.
His previous stops include Bleacher Report and Metro New York, while his work has been featured in the New York Post, Newsday, and Yahoo! Sports.
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